LAS VEGAS –
Hitachi GST reported this week it will
begin shipping its G-Connect wireless streaming storage
device into the market this month.
The G-Connect, first unveiled in mid-2011, was originally
slated to hit stores in July, but was delayed so
Hitachi could correct several usability issues, said Stacey
Vrolyk, Hitachi GST marketing VP.
“This proved to be a very challenging product to develop
and we wanted to make the experience correct.
We expected it to be out already, but it was not up to par
so we waited,” she said.
The G-Connect will ship in January with a $249 suggested
retail. The original price tag was $199.
The 500GB G-Connect is designed to give the Apple
iPad additional portable storage. The device, which has
the same area as a 3-inch by 5-inch index card and is
less than 1 inch thick, can simultaneously stream three
HD or five standard-definition movies.
The G-Connect can also be used with Android devices,
but customers must access it via the tablet’s web
browser, at least until the Android app is completed at
some point in the future, Vrolyk said.
The G-Connect is now the flagship product in the
company’s G Technology unit, Vrolyk said
Hitachi GST will also bring its Series G-Technology
with Thunderbolt line to Las Vegas.
These products are also positioned for the Apple prosumer,
Vrolyk said.
Three SKUs will be offered at 4GB, 6TB and 8TB with
respective prices of $799, $999 and $1,199.
Units shipped last month and will be in stores in January.
