SanDisk extend ‘Extreme Ducati Edition’ range

SanDisk® today launched a line of turbo-charged flash memory cards – the SanDisk Extreme® Ducati Edition CompactFlash® and the SanDisk Extreme Ducati Edition SD™ Plus. Both have the quickest read/write times of the SanDisk portfolio and represent the company’s ultimate performance products for digital photographers.

The announcement was made during a press conference at SanDisk headquarters on the eve of the U.S. Grand Prix MotoGP race on July 22 at Laguna Seca in Monterey, California. Present for the launch were Casey Stoner of Australia, a Ducati competition rider who is currently ranked number one in the international MotoGP circuit, and teammate Loris Capirossi of Italy.

The SanDisk Extreme Ducati Edition cards are the result of a sponsorship and marketing relationship between SanDisk and Ducati Corse, the racing arm of Italy’s famed Ducati motorcycle company. The line-up consists of 4- and 8-gigabyte[ii] (GB) capacities for the SanDisk Extreme Ducati Edition CompactFlash card and 4GB for the SanDisk Extreme Ducati Edition SD Plus card. The latter features a snap-open connector that enables the card to be plugged in directly to the USB port of a personal computer without requiring a cable or reader. Distinctive bright red labels and packaging bear images of Ducati MotoGP racers and the Ducati Corse emblem.

“With the SanDisk Extreme Ducati Edition cards, we have reached a new threshold of speed – 45 megabytes per second for the CompactFlash cards and 20MB/sec1 for the SD Plus card,” said Tanya Chuang, director of worldwide retail product marketing for the high performance imaging market at SanDisk. “These speeds allow for fast transfers of images from the cards, and are especially useful for professional photographers in their work-flow environments.”

The SanDisk Extreme Ducati Edition CompactFlash card is twice as fast as the SanDisk Extreme III card and is 5MB faster than the new SanDisk Extreme IV card, she added.

SanDisk’s relationship with Ducati Corse, which was launched in January, “takes the marketing of our memory products into a new dimension,” said Wes Brewer, vice president of SanDisk’s Cards and Accessories Division. “Ducati is on the leading edge of motorcycle design and performance, and SanDisk is the world leader in flash memory cards. Both companies share a passion for speed and for pushing the envelope of technology. We feel that SanDisk’s new products will resonate not only with photographers but also with the millions of Ducati and MotoGP fans around the world,” he added.

SanDisk is currently rolling out a worldwide merchandising and marketing campaign that leverages the Ducati MotoGP sponsorship.

Initial distribution is planned for August in North America and Europe, with the cards available through photo specialty stores, high-end niche retailers, high-end department stores, Ducati network shops and other outlets, including on-line. Suggested retail prices are $164.99 for the 4GB CompactFlash card, $314.99 for the 8GB CompactFlash card and $129.99 for the 4GB SD Plus card. They will also be available for pre-order on the SanDisk website at www.sandisk.com/Ducati.

Clearly Ducati obsessed, SanDisk® today also rolled out the sleek SanDisk Extreme® Ducati Edition USB Flash Drive. A tribute to Ducati’s distinctive Italian design and engineering, the new drive has the same glossy red chassis and black trim as the Ducati Corse team motorcycles now racking up victories on the MotoGP circuit.

The true “Ducatisti,” as aficionados of Ducati motorcycles call themselves, will appreciate the attention to detail in the SanDisk Extreme Ducati Edition USB Flash Drive, including the Ducati Corse logo on top of the drive and the red tail light that illuminates whenever the drive is inserted into the USB port of a computer.

On the inside, the drive offers a generous 4 gigabytes1 (GB) of capacity and front-of-the-pack read and write speeds of 20 megabytes per second2 — the fastest of the SanDisk portfolio of consumer USB drives. In other words, there isn’t a long wait to fill the drive’s big fuel tank with documents, photos, music and other digital data.

“Ducati and SanDisk share a passion for bringing together performance and design,” said Alessandro Cicognani, Ducati Corse marketing and licensing manager. “That’s why Ducati was proud to welcome SanDisk as a sponsor of our MotoGP team back in January, and why we’re delighted today that SanDisk has created a product so closely mirroring our commitment to excellence.”

“There has never been a USB flash drive that looked like this,” said Greg Rhine, senior vice president and general manager of the Consumer Products Division at SanDisk. “The SanDisk Extreme Ducati Edition USB Flash Drive is fast and functional, but it’s also a way for everyone to share the excitement of Ducati motorcycles and Ducati’s long history as a racing champion.”

The SanDisk Extreme Ducati Edition USB Flash Drive comes with a custom lanyard, as well as SanDisk’s RescuePRO® Deluxe software for recovering data that is accidentally deleted. The drive is compatible with Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, and versions 10.1.2 or better of the Mac operating system.

The drive has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $124.99 in the United States. It is expected to be available in North America and Europe in August, and worldwide in September. The drive will be sold through high-end niche retailers, high-end department stores, Ducati network shops and other outlets, including on-line. It will also be available for pre-order on the SanDisk website at www.sandisk.com/Ducati .

Posted by: Mark

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