Q: What does 'xD' actually mean?
A: It was inspired by 'eXtreme digital',
suggesting the excellence of this new memory media for
recording, storing and transporting audiovisual
information.
Q: What is the rational for this new
format?
A: There is a consumer demand for greater
memory capacity, as well as the development of smaller and
more innovative digital camera designs. Also, speed of storage
is increasingly an issue as large image files and movie files
become more and more common.
Q: Which companies were involved in the
development of the xD-Picture Card™?
A: The card format was jointly developed by
Fujifilm and Olympus.
Q: Will Fujifilm cameras accept the Olympus
xD-Picture Card™, and vice versa?
A: Yes, but the use of the original equipment
manufacturer's cards are recommended to ensure total
support.
Q: Who will manufacture the xD-Picture
Card™?
A: Initially, the production of the media will
be by Toshiba Corporation.
Q: What will be the availability of the
media?
A: xD-Picture Card™s will be available in all
regions where Fujifilm and Olympus digital cameras are sold.
Q: What sizes of xD-Picture Card™ will be
available?
A: There are plans to offer cards up to 8Gb in
capacity. 512MB cards will be expected late summer 2003 with
larger capacities (1GB, 2GB) appearing progressively from
2003.
Q: How big is an xD-Picture Card™?
A: Cards are an ultra-compact 20 x 25 x 1.7mm
in size. With a volume of 0.85cc and a weight of 2g, the xD-Picture Card™ boasts the smallest form factor of any
digital memory card, making it exceptionally portable and
convenient. The miniature size of the new card will enable
development of even smaller digital cameras.
Q: What accessories are available for the xD-Picture Card™?
A: DPC-R1, DPC-AD, DPC-CF.
Q: Are there any plans to produce a floppy
disk adaptor for the xD-Picture Card™?
A: No. The floppy disk drive is becoming less
popular, therefore it was not considered appropriate to
provide an adaptor to support this format.
Q: Can the xD-Picture Card™ be used in
cameras designed to accept SmartMedia™ cards?
A: No. Form factors mean that compatibility
between the xD-Picture Card™ and SmartMedia™ - compatible
cameras is not possible.
Q: Can the xD-Picture Card™ be used in other
digital devices?
A: Though notionally designed and optimised for
image storage, there are plans to adapt the new media for
PDAs, audio players and other IT appliances.
Q: Does the xD-Picture Card™ feature ID copy
protection in the same way as SmartMedia™ cards?
A: Yes.
Q: Can the xD-Picture Card™ be used to store
music and movie data?
A: Cards are fully usable for both movies and
music, and as they include an ID, they can be encoded for copy
protection.
Q: Can the new cards be used with mobile
telephones?
A: There are no indications of such use at
present.
Q: Why is there no write-protect
feature?
A: Research into other media has shown that
write-protect is very rarely used. Also a greater degree of PC
compatibility can be achieved by removing it.
Q: What is the expected life of the
cards?
A: Lifecycles will vary according to how the
cards are used, but under normal circumstances, there is no
reason for concern about the lifecycle.
Q: Will the cards be offered under the
Toshiba brand?
A: This is to be confirmed.
Q: Does the consignment manufacturer,
Toshiba, plan to release an xD-Picture Card™ compatible
digital camera?
A: This is to be confirmed.
Q: Who holds the trademark for the new xD-Picture Card™?
A: The xD-Picture Card™ trademark is held by
Fujifilm, Olympus and Toshiba.
Q: Will only Fujifilm and Olympus market the
xD-Picture Card™?
A: Fujifilm and Olympus will be the first two
companies to market the media, but a wide range of other
digital camera manufacturers have been invited to join
them.
Q: Will sales of SmartMedia™ cards
continue?
A: Yes. Fujifilm will continue to sell
SmartMedia™ cards. Indeed, several new cameras in Fujifilm's
Christmas and 2003 range (including the FinePix F601, and the
new FinePix F401) will be SmartMedia™ compatible.
Q: What is the current market share of
SmartMedia™ cards?
A: SmartMedia™ cards account for around 40% of
the current worldwide market, the largest share of any format.
Q: What is the likely compatibility of the
xD-Picture Card™ with Fujifilm Digital Imaging (FDi) printing
equipment and services?
A: It is expected that Fujifilm FDi printing
systems will be made compatible. Requests will be made that
other manufacturers' equipment is also made compatible.
Existing Fujifilm products, such as, the SmartPix, and
SmartPix Mini, will be compatible using one of the announced
adapters.
Q: How will the price of the new cards
compare with those of SmartMedia™ cards?
A: Prices are expected to be similar to
SmartMedia™.
About Fujifilm
