Re: Apple // disk media

["Michael J. Mahon" <mjmahon@aol.com>]

Vince Briel wrote:
> Wasn't the media rated for something around 5 years? I suppose storage 
> without use adds to the life if stored properly.

Life ratings without comprehensive information on the conditions
of testing and use is pretty worthless--just a "feel good" spec
for users of the time.

Floppy disk manufacturers were leveraging the manufacturing
process of magnetic tape, which was pretty well characterized
by the end of the 1970s.

After a "learning" period of a couple of years, with high media
prices and competition on quality, floppy media improved a lot
by around 1982-1983 (around the time of the introduction of the
hub ring).  It was also about this time that users became much
less concerned about brand names just as the market was flooded
with floppies, and media prices plummeted.

-michael

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