Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!ssbell!dsndata!wayne
From: wayne@dsndata.uucp (Wayne Schlitt)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp
Subject: Re: Why are HP DAT tape drives not shipping?
Message-ID: <WAYNE.90Aug5191020@dsndata.uucp>
Date: 5 Aug 90 23:10:20 GMT
References: <3738@ralph.Lafayette.LA.US>
Sender: wayne@dsndata.UUCP
Organization: Design Data
Lines: 27
In-reply-to: pja@ralph.Lafayette.LA.US's message of 4 Aug 90 00:31:01 GMT

In article <3738@ralph.Lafayette.LA.US> pja@ralph.Lafayette.LA.US (Pete Alleman) writes:

> My employer has had the new HP 1.3 GByte DAT tape drive on order for
> a while.  We were recently told that they were on production hold.
> Does anyone know why?

while i dont know why the dat tapes are on production hold, i do know
that this is a very common thing to have happen.  basically,
"production hold" means that something, be it the parts, the
manufacturing process, the software, or something else is keeping the
product from being everything HP wants it to be.  think of it as being
the downside to HP's high reputation for quality.  

production holds seem to happen the most on new products or products
that arent in great demand.  they often come and go on a weekly basis.
i have rarely heard the exact reason for the production holds, but in
my experience, they usually dont last more than a week or two.


anyway, dont feel bad.  when hp started advertising their read/write
optical disk in their new "pick any three device package" last
january, i decided that we should get one.  we are still waiting.
rumor has it that we should have it sometime in september.  i am not
holding my breath.  


-wayne