Premium2 - End of Life

vbimport
#1

I just noticed that Plextor Japan has moved the Premium2 to the “old devices” section of their product web-pages. Only the USB variant Premium2-U remains as an actual product. This goes hand in hand with the disapearance of this drive from online-stores over that last months. It looks like the production has stopped somewhen in late 2009.

So anyone who was thinking about getting one of these better hurry and grab one if you can still find one, because it looks like this time there will be no replacement.

#2

I wanted to buy 12 units awhile ago, but then I got laid off and I’ve been in college ever since. Now they’re gone from Plextor’s online shops, including the Japanese branch.

There’s auctions for individual drives (some of them new - many of them used), but no opportunities to save on shipping by purchasing many drives together.

Oh well. At least I got my one Japanese Premium2 when I did. I’m also not dissatisfied in the least bit about owning 6 original Premiums, because they’re still doing a damn good job even today.

Now the real question is, will Plextor themselves make anymore drives at all? If so, then what would be next? A Blu-Ray drive that can fully overread audio CDs? We can always dream.

#3

I bought the Plextor Premium II three years ago and is still working fine…

The problem is that I do not know the meaning of buying good drivers when we have to do with bad medias!

Even Taiyo Yuden is now producing bad CD-rs… Not the same quality it used to be a very few years ago.