- Conner returns to CES 2026 with portable storage instead of hard drives
- The former HDD pioneer is now targeting mobile users with SSD-based products
- A long-absent warehouse name tests whether old brands still matter
A familiar name from the early days of personal computing made an unexpected reappearance at CES 2026.
Conner, once a defining force in PC storage, returns, albeit with a very different set of products.
Founded in 1986, Conner Peripherals became one of the more well-known storage companies of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Its work on compact hard drives helped establish the 3.5-inch format as the standard for desktop PCs.
Who will be next?
The company later disappeared as the hard drive industry consolidated and flash storage grew in popularity. For many years, the Conner name was largely absent from consumer hardware.
Conner at CES 2026 presented a lineup focused not on traditional hard drives, but rather portable digital storage.
The products it showed are primarily aimed at mobile users rather than desktop systems.
The range includes small external drives designed for smartphone backups, pocket-sized portable SSDs and hybrid devices that combine storage with battery charging.
Some models also integrate card readers, allowing users to expand storage space using MicroSD cards.
The company’s focus now seems to be on convenience and portability rather than raw capacity.
“Conner helped define the early era of personal storage, and we’re thrilled to bring that legacy back to life,” said Jaci Jin, CEO of Conner. “As digital content expands and mobility becomes essential, our mission remains the same as Conner’s was decades ago: to provide reliable, forward-thinking storage solutions that empower people to protect and manage their data effortlessly.”
Alongside the CES 2026 appearance, the company plans to introduce some products via crowdfunding platforms, suggesting an initial focus on early adopters and creators, rather than an immediate return to mass market distribution.
It is not yet known how the company’s returns will be received. The storage market is crowded, competition is intense, and the Conner brand is likely to be unfamiliar to many modern buyers.
However, it does raise some fun questions about whether other long-dormant storage brands might attempt similar revivals.
Names like Maxtor, Iomega, and SyQuest once defined consumer storage, and it’s hard not to be curious about what a modern reboot of any of them might look like.
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