San Jose, Calif. – Hoping to further propel the already strong sales of USB flash drives, a new industry alliance was officially launched today around the diminutive data portables.
The USB Flash Drive Alliance (UFDA) was established to educate consumers about USB drives and position them as replacements for floppy disks and blank CDs.
Sponsor members include Genesys Logic, Kingston Technology, Lexar Media, PNY Technologies and Samsung Semiconductor. Associate members include Crucial Technology, Microsoft, SimpleTech, and Viking Interworks.
The UFDA projects that over five million USB flash drives will be sold in 2003 in the United States, representing approximately 20 percent of the worldwide market. UFDA plans to launch an educational web site and proselytize on behalf of the devices at events throughout the upcoming year.
“Technology companies representing every level of the supply chain, from controllers to flash memory to operating systems to resellers, are coming together in the USB Flash Drive Alliance pursuing the common goal of driving the growth of these amazingly useful devices,” said Steffen Hellmold, president of the UFDA.
“USB Flash Drives are efficient, convenient and remarkably easy to use. While they have already enjoyed outstanding success we believe there is significant growth ahead,” Hellmold said.
