4 Nov
2025
4 Nov
'25
11:50 a.m.
On Tuesday (11/04/2025 at 10:53AM -0500), Bob Vines via cctalk wrote:
10-20 years ago I had a good Point-of-Contact (POC) at 3M (before we both
retired). I asked him whether they still (at that time) made DECtape media
and was told that 3M had sold their magnetic media operations to another
company who also got out of the business before I contacted them. I also
asked my POC (and the contact at the other company) if any DECtape media
had been kept in a warehouse or similar -- he checked 3M's inventory system
and told me that they had no record of any remaining DECtape media. The
other company's contact had a similar "you've struck out" story.
Surely the "other company" was Imation, which was spun off from 3M in
1996, taking all of the magnetic and optical media and many other similar
products and technologies.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imation
Many family and friends here in MN, in the 3M sphere, suffered through
this, umm, disaster.
My dad started 3M's optical recording business-- spinning up production
for laser discs and CDs in the early 80s.
cje
--
Chris Elmquist