Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2008/09/08/ibm_storage_montpellier_announcements/

IBM bombs world with storage blitz, but...

One's whelm is undered

By Chris Mellor

Posted in Channel, 8th September 2008 19:39 GMT

Comment Today IBM carpet-bombed the world with its storage showcase. Shock and awe it wasn't.

The flavour of the event, much of which was pre-announced, was given by a URL reference on the main release to "a full listing of all the products and services announced today." It was broken, with the IBM response page saying: "Our apologies...The page you requested cannot be displayed." It sets the tone.

What did we get?

This is beginning to smack a little of desperation.

Altogether, IBM announced "more than 30 new products and services" today. But this is less a serious product announcement than an agenda for a thorough customer storage overview session.

The actual big news today, gleaned from the four IBM press releases, is that IBM is not adding SSDs to its DS8000. The rest of it mounts to nice-sounding intentions, gee-whiz research blue sky stuff, could-be products and already-revealed products. There could well be actual new products and services here, like the Diligent and Arsenal items, but they are lost amidst the mass of other stuff.

Whoever planned this announcement bundle is well qualified to plan the George Bush re-election campaign. What's that? There isn't one? Exactly. ®