Seagate Technology today announced that a three-year limited warranty on every Maxtor Hard Drive Retail Kit will become effective right from the moment the press comment is aired. The new three-year warranty even applies retroactively to all Maxtor Hard Drive Kits in stores and also to those products purchased by customers on or after October 1, 2006.

Previously, retail-boxed drives carried only a one year of limited warranty while the single bare drives carried 3 years. It's a good idea to offer the same period of warranty for all drives and I wonder how come Seagate hasn't already reached this conclusion. Oh well, I guess it's better late than never.

"Whether it's an internal hard drive or a simple to use external storage and backup solution, Seagate has a product for everyone. Our Maxtor Branded Retail Kits include an industry leading drive manufactured by Seagate, giving consumers the quality assurance and reliability the industry has come to expect from Seagate. The positive response we have received from our retail partners is a testament to their confidence in our ability to deliver products that blend value, innovative storage technology and reliability." said Jim Druckrey, senior vice president and general manager for Seagate Branded Solutions.

Maxtor Retail Kits are designed for users who want to replace their internal hard drives offering capacities up to 500GB. The kits, beside the hard drive units, include components that are vital in the installation of a new storage device such as mounting screws and a PATA or SATA cables. Retail prices range from $79.95 for an 80GB unit to $239.95 for the mighty 500GB hard disk.