QUALSTAR CORP - Annual Report: 2003 (Form 10-K)

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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Form 10-K

Commission file number 000-30083

Qualstar Corporation

3990-B Heritage Oak Court

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

      Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.     Yes þ          No o

      Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.     þ

      Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).     o Yes          þ No

      As of September 24, 2003, the aggregate market value of the common equity held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $37,091,000.

      The total shares of common stock without par value outstanding at September 24, 2003 is 12,639,609.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

      Items 10, 11, 12 and 13 of Part III of this Form 10-K are incorporated by reference from the registrant’s definitive proxy statement for its annual meeting of shareholders, which will be filed with the Commission on or before October 28, 2003.

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

      This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements inherently are subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which we cannot predict or quantify. Our actual results may differ materially from the results projected in the forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such a difference include, but are not limited to, those discussed in “ITEM 1 — Business,” including the section therein entitled “Risk Factors,” and in “ITEM 7 — Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” You generally can identify forward-looking statements by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “believes,” “may,” “will,” “expects,” “intends,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “seeks,” or “continues,” or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology. Forward looking statements also include the assumptions underlying or relating to any such statements. Forward looking statements contained within this document represent a good-faith assessment of Qualstar’s future performance for which management believes there is a reasonable basis. Qualstar disclaims any obligation to update the forward looking statements contained herein, except as may be required by law.

Introduction

      We design, develop, manufacture and sell automated magnetic tape libraries used to store, retrieve and manage electronic data primarily in network computing environments. Tape libraries consist of cartridge tape drives, storage arrays of tape cartridges and robotics to move the tape cartridges from their storage locations to the tape drives under software control. Our tape libraries provide storage solutions for organizations requiring backup, recovery and archival storage of critical electronic information. Our tape libraries also can provide near-online storage as an alternative to disk drives. Our products are compatible with commonly used network operating systems, including UNIX, Windows NT, NetWare and Linux. Our tape libraries also are compatible with a wide range of storage management software packages, such as those supplied by Computer Associates, Legato, Tivioli and Veritas. We offer tape libraries for multiple tape drive technologies, including those using Advanced Intelligent Tape(AIT), Super Advanced Intelligent Tape(SAIT), Super Digital Linear Tape(SDLT), and Linear Tape Open(LTO) tape drives and media.

      We sell our tape libraries worldwide, primarily to value added resellers, system integrators, and original equipment manufacturers. These customers integrate our products with software from third party vendors to provide storage solutions, and in turn resell to end users. We custom configure each of our libraries based on each customer’s individual requirements, with a typical delivery time of one to three working days. This rapid fulfillment of customer orders allows our resellers to minimize their inventory levels and allows us to compete effectively with distribution channels used by our competitors.

      Qualstar was incorporated in California in 1984. The initial products were IBM compatible 9-track reel-to-reel tape drives. In 1995, we entered the tape automation market with a series of tape libraries incorporating 8mm tape drives. Since that time, we have introduced a succession of tape library models designed to work with 8mm and other tape drive technologies and tape media formats. Automated tape libraries and related products, such as tape drives and tape media, represented approximately 89.3% of revenues for fiscal 2001, approximately 82.9% of revenues for fiscal 2002, and approximately 79.8% of revenues for fiscal 2003. Sales of 9-track tape drives, services and other products accounted for the balance of our revenues.

      In July 2002, we purchased the assets of N2 Power, Incorporated, a supplier of ultra small high efficiency open-frame switching power supplies. Power supplies provided by N2 Power are utilized within our tape library products as well as sold to other original equipment manufacturers for incorporation into their products. N2Power products are sold under the N2Power brand name through outside sales representatives and distributors to original equipment manufacturers.

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Industry Background

      Storing, managing and protecting data has become critical to the operation of many enterprises as the world economy becomes increasingly information dependent. The need for data storage is growing in response to the increase in the amount of data that is generated and must be preserved. The amount of data has been increasing due to the growth in the number of computers, the number, size and complexity of computer networks and software applications, and the emergence of new applications such as image processing, e-commerce, Internet services, medical, video and motion picture image storage, and other multi-media applications. In addition, businesses continue to generate increasing amounts of traditional business information with respect to their products, customers and financial information. This increase in the amount of data that is generated stimulates increases in the demand for data storage and the management of this data.

      The following factors are contributing to the growth in data storage:

      The growth in data and need for storage is contributing to an evolution in traditional storage solutions. New open standard technologies are designed to provide high-speed connectivity for data-intensive applications across multiple operating systems, including UNIX, Windows NT, NetWare and Linux. These new methods of storage and data management technologies include the following:

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      Current non-volatile storage solutions are based primarily on three technologies: magnetic disk, optical disk and magnetic tape. Each of these solutions represents a compromise among a variety of competing factors including capacity, cost, speed, portability and data reliability. Magnetic tapes are removable, which allows them to be transported easily to an off-site location for security or protection from natural disasters. Magnetic and optical disks provide quicker access to stored data and generally are used when speed is important. Less frequently used data often is migrated from magnetic or optical disks to tape storage. Tape libraries provide a near-online solution, where less frequently used data files are stored on tapes instead of on disks.

      Automated tape libraries speed the tape loading process, eliminate errors induced by human operators, and enhance security compared to tapes that must be retrieved and loaded manually. Tape libraries also are capable of being operated from a remote location or during off-hours when no attendant is on duty. Automated tape libraries are a key component of a network administrator’s overall storage solution.

      Tape drives and tape media are two key components of tape libraries. The costs of tape drives and tape media have declined with advances in technology, and we expect this trend to continue. As prices decline, new applications for automated storage become justified, further increasing the number of applications that can benefit from the use of tape libraries. We believe that continued technological improvements in tape drives and tape media will further reduce overall storage costs in the future.

      Current and emerging applications for tape libraries include:

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      The requirements for storage solutions vary depending on the size of an enterprise, the type of data generated and the amount of data to be stored. With the increased dependence on stored data, most organizations, regardless of their size, have a heightened need for storage solutions that integrate devices such as tape drives, tape libraries and storage management software. Those organizations with sufficient in-house information technology resources can rely on their internal infrastructure and expertise to design, purchase and implement their own storage solutions. These organizations may elect to purchase equipment from distributors or directly from original equipment manufacturers. Many organizations, however, do not have sufficient in-house resources but often have the same need for data storage solutions. These organizations often look to value added resellers to design, supply and install their storage solutions.

      Value added resellers develop and install storage solutions for enterprises that face complex storage needs but lack the in-house capability of designing and implementing the proper solution or have chosen to outsource these functions. Typically, the value added reseller will select among a variety of different hardware technologies and storage management software options, as well as provide installation and other services to deliver a complete storage solution for the end user.

      Value added resellers require rapid turnaround of orders, custom configuration of tape libraries, drop shipment to their customer’s site, compatibility with multiple tape formats and storage management software, and marketing and technical support.

      Original equipment manufacturers generally resell products made by others under their own brand name and typically assume responsibility for product sales, service and support. Original equipment manufacturers enable manufacturers, such as Qualstar, to reach end users not served by other reseller distribution channels and to serve select vertical markets where specific original equipment manufacturers have exceptional strength. Original equipment manufacturers require special services such as product configuration control, extensive qualification testing, custom colors and private labeling.

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Our Solution

      We offer storage solutions that respond to the growing data management challenges facing businesses today, while addressing the unique needs of value added resellers and original equipment manufacturers.

      We believe that high product reliability is important to the end users of our products due to the critical nature of the data that is being stored, shorter time periods available for the back-up operations, and the operation of backup systems during hours when personnel may not be available to respond to problems. To address these concerns, we emphasize quality and reliability in the design, assembly and testing of our products which reduces the potential for product failures and results in products that require little maintenance.

      The technology utilized within automated tape libraries is continuously evolving due to advances in data recording methods, component cost reductions, advances in semiconductor and microprocessor technologies, and a general trend toward miniaturization in the electronics industry. This changing technology requires that we continuously develop and market new products in order to prevent our product lines from becoming obsolete. To give a few examples, this year we completed development of 5 new models in our RLS rack-mount series of tape libraries, of which, all 5 models were shipping as of the date of this report. Furthermore, we introduced 4 models of our new TLS 5000 Series Tape Library which incorporates SAIT tape technology. SAIT tapes have the highest density available on the market at 500 gigabytes per tape (native), making the TLS 5000 Series Tape Library the lowest cost per gigabyte tape library on the market.

      Our tape libraries are compatible with over fifty third-party storage management software packages, such as those supplied by Computer Associates, Legato, Tivoli and Veritas. Storage management software enables network administrators to allocate the use of storage technologies among user groups or tasks, to manage data from a central location, and to retrieve, transfer and backup data between multiple workstations. We believe that storage management software is a crucial component of any automated storage installation, and the lack of compatibility is a significant barrier to entry for new tape library competitors. To ensure compatibility, our engineers work closely with the application software vendors during product development cycles. We do not have contracts with any application software vendors, nor do we need access to their software code to design our products. We maintain relationships with them by supplying evaluation tape libraries so they can qualify their software to work with our tape libraries and by evaluating their software for compatibility with our tape libraries. We also support our relationships with them by keeping them informed as to current and contemplated changes to our products and by referring business to them when value added resellers or end users inquire about software sources.

      We have focused our business primarily on supporting value added resellers and original equipment manufacturers as the most effective and profitable distribution channels for our tape libraries. Our solution is to offer our resellers reliable tape libraries, multiple tape format choices, and more attractive profit opportunities than do other tape library manufacturers. We custom configure each of our libraries based on the resellers’ requirements, with a typical delivery time of one to three working days. Our solution for original equipment manufacturers is to offer them control over product design changes, qualification testing, and private labeling. We believe these factors enhance the resellers’ and original equipment manufacturers’ ability to sell our products and encourage them to remain loyal to Qualstar.

Strategy

      Our goals are to enhance our position as a supplier of automated tape libraries and to increase our market share in each of the tape formats in which we compete. To achieve these goals, we intend to:

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      We believe that our experience, efficiency and strict control over the development and manufacturing of new products are key factors in the successful execution of our strategy. We design our tape libraries with a high percentage of common parts, use quality components and minimize the number of moving parts. We utilize proprietary techniques in the design, production and testing of our libraries in order to simplify the manufacturing process and reduce our costs. We produce all of our products at a single facility and control our inventory closely to provide rapid delivery to our customers. These steps allow us to design and bring to market new products rapidly in response to changing technology.

Products

     Tape Libraries

      We offer a number of tape library families, each capable of incorporating one or more tape drive technologies, as summarized in the following table:

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      Some of our tape library product families include a number of models that differ in storage capacity, price and features. Our libraries are installed in network computing environments ranging from small departmental networks to enterprise-wide networks supporting hundreds of users. We believe that selling products for multiple tape drive technologies insulates us somewhat from the dynamics of the marketplace as various tape standards compete for market share. This helps our products appeal to the broadest possible range of end-user market segments. This wide range of products makes us a one-stop supplier for our value added reseller and original equipment manufacturer customers, enabling them to meet most end-user requirements for a specific tape format. Our wide range of products for competing tape drive technologies also helps to insulate us from the occasional supply shortages from tape drive or tape media manufacturers.

      Tape libraries generally contain two or more tape drives and from several to thousands of tapes. We concentrate our product offerings in the middle segment range of 12 to 600 tapes. We design our tape libraries for continuous, unattended operation. Multiple tape drives allow simultaneous access to different data files by different users on the network, and increase the rate at which data can move on to, out of, or within the network. A library with multiple tape drives can back up data using all drives simultaneously, significantly speeding up the recording process. Within the library, tape cartridges sometimes are stored in removable magazines, allowing for bulk removal of the tapes. Our libraries also offer key features such as barcode readers to scan cartridge labels, and an input/output port for importing and exporting individual tapes under system control. Many of our library models are expandable after installation by increasing the number of tape storage positions. This feature provides the end user with the ability to increase data capacity as storage needs grow.

      We offer automated tape libraries with different data storage capacities and data transfer rates. We continue to develop and release new libraries to expand our product offerings to meet the changing demands of the marketplace. In addition, we continue to develop enhancements and improvements for our existing products in order to maintain our competitive position in the marketplace.

      Our tape libraries incorporate a number of specialized features that we believe improve reliability, serviceability and performance, including:

      Our TLS Series product line is specifically designed to be placed on the floor or on a table top, without the need for a special equipment rack. If requested, we provide our customers with an adapter kit for mounting some models in a rack. Other manufacturers design libraries primarily for rack-mounting, and supply an adapter for table-top use. We chose the opposite approach to distinguish ourselves from many of our

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      During Fiscal 2003 we commenced shipments of our RLS Series of tape libraries. These products are designed to fit conveniently in equipment racks utilizing only five standard units, or a total of 8.75 inches of rack space. In addition, the RLS can provide all of the high-availability features needed in the most demanding applications such as dual-redundant power supplies and hot-swappable power supplies and tape drives. We believe these features give the RLS Series of tape libraries a competitive advantage over other compact rack-mount tape libraries that do not offer as robust a combination of features. We believe this product line will provide a cost effective solution for a large portion of our customer base.

     Other Products

      We have manufactured 9-track auto-loading reel-to-reel tape drives since 1990. Demand for 9-track tape drives has been declining for many years, and we expect overall demand for 9-track tape drives to continue to decline in the future. Therefore, we announced the end of the life for 9-track tape drives. In addition to our tape libraries and 9-track tape drives, we sell ancillary products such as tape media, tape magazines, cables, bar code labels and adapters for rack mounting our tape libraries.

      In July of 2002, we purchased the assets and intellectual property of N2Power, Incorporated, a privately held company located in Newbury Park, California. N2Power designs, develops, manufactures, and sells ultra small high-efficiency open-frame switching power supplies based upon its patented technology. Since the purchase, N2Power has been relocated to our facility in Simi Valley, California. N2Power products are utilized within our tape libraries as well as sold on the open market primarily through outside sales representatives and distributors to original equipment manufacturers.

Sales and Marketing

     Sales

      We sell our tape library products primarily through value added resellers. Our direct sales force usually will initiate contact with value added resellers who might be likely candidates to sell our tape libraries. We strive to develop relationships with resellers who have expertise in storage management applications, established relationships with end users and the experience to understand and satisfy their customers’ needs.

      We believe that by selling directly to value added resellers, we have an advantage over competitors who force resellers to purchase through distributors and who sometimes sell directly to end users, thereby competing with their own resellers. Some of the advantages of our strategy include the following:

      Although we sell our tape libraries primarily to value added resellers, we believe that original equipment manufacturers are an important element of our business. We strive to work with original equipment manufacturers early in the product development cycle so that we can obtain valuable product development

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      Our sales are spread across a broad customer base. For the year ended June 30, 2003, no single customer accounted for more than 10% of our revenue.

      Our international sales efforts are currently directed from our headquarters in Simi Valley, California. European sales are coordinated through our European sales office in the United Kingdom. We intend to continue to develop our international markets and create additional outlets for our products. All of our international sales are denominated in U.S. dollars. Revenues from customers outside of North America were $13.9 million, or 26.9% of revenues in fiscal 2001, $12.1 million or 32.2% of revenues in fiscal 2002, and $9.9 million or 29.4% of revenues in fiscal 2003.

      We support our sales efforts with a broad array of marketing programs designed to generate brand awareness, attract and retain qualified value added resellers and inform end users about the advantages of our products. We provide our resellers with a full range of marketing materials, including product specifications, sales literature, software connectivity information and product application notes. We train our resellers to sell our products and to answer customers’ questions. We advertise in key publications, and participate in trade shows. We display our products under the Qualstar brand name at various trade shows including the COMDEX Fall trade show, and participate in other trade shows in partnership with our principal suppliers and resellers. We support our marketing and customer support with a website that features comprehensive marketing and product information.

      Another element of our marketing plan is our lead registration program. This program awards value added resellers that uncover sales opportunities and promote our products to the end user. In exchange for this effort, the reseller is rewarded with a higher profit margin on that particular sale. The lead registration program gives our reseller partners an advantage over their competitors who purchase from distribution channels. We conduct sales and technical training classes for our resellers. We also conduct various promotional activities for resellers and end users, including product-specific rebates and co-operative advertising.

Customer Service and Support

      We believe that strong customer service and support is an essential aspect of our business. Our customer service and support efforts consist of the following components:

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Manufacturing and Suppliers

      We manufacture our products at our facility in Simi Valley, California. We currently operate four assembly lines during one daily eight-hour shift. As needs require, we have the ability to add a second or third shift to increase our capacity.

      In order to respond rapidly to sales orders, we build our tape libraries to a semi-finished state in advance of receipt of an order, perform full testing and then place the tape libraries in a holding area until an order is received. Once an order is confirmed, we remove the unit from the holding area, install tape drives and configure the unit to meet the specific requirements of the order, retest and then ship.

      The manufacturing cycle to bring the tape libraries to a semi-finished state is approximately five working days. We believe that this capability represents an effective way to control our inventory levels while maintaining the ability to fill specific customer orders in short lead times. We coordinate inventory planning and management with suppliers and customers to match our production to market demand. Once we confirm a product order, we generally ship the product to the customer within one to three working days. We believe this response time is among the fastest in the industry, and gives us a competitive edge. Because we fill the majority of our orders as they are received, our backlog generally is small and is not indicative of future sales.

      We select our suppliers carefully based on their ability to provide quality parts that meet our specifications and volume requirements. Inventory planning and management is coordinated closely with suppliers to match our production needs. Many of the components assembled into our libraries are standard off-the-shelf parts, which reduces the risk of part shortages and allows us to maintain inventory of these parts at a minimum. A number of our component parts are not available off the shelf, but are designed to our specifications for integration into our products.

      Tape drives and tape recording media are available only from a limited number of suppliers, some of which are sole-source providers. Some of our suppliers compete with us by selling their own tape libraries. The risk of allocation is greater upon the introduction of a new tape drive technology. Any disruption in supplies of tape drives or tape media could delay shipments of our products. We have experienced only one situation involving a limited supply of components. Between January 1999 and January 2000, Sony Electronics, Inc., our sole-source supplier of Advanced Intelligent Tape drives and tape media, was unable to provide us with sufficient quantities of 50 gigabyte tape media to meet our order volume. During this period, our customers generally did not delay purchases of Advanced Intelligent Tape libraries from us because of this shortage, but accepted delivery of tape libraries with a partial shipment of 50 gigabyte tape media or accepted 36 gigabyte tape media, which was available during that period.

      N2Power products are currently produced in China by a contract-manufacturing firm. We provide complete production documentation specifying each component and assembly techniques. We also specify performance criteria used to test the power supplies after they complete a burn-in cycle at elevated temperatures. Finished power supplies are shipped to our Simi Valley facility where they undergo further quality control inspections and tests prior to shipping to our OEM customers.

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Competition

      The market for automated tape libraries is intensely competitive and characterized by rapidly changing technology and evolving standards. Because we offer a broad range of libraries for different tape drive technologies, we tend to have a large number of competitors that differ depending on the particular format and performance level. We compete in a segment of the overall tape library market that focuses on small to mid-range network computing environments. Our principal competitors in this market segment include StorageTek, Quantum/ATL Products, Advanced Digital Information Corporation (ADIC), Overland Storage, and Spectra Logic.

      Many of our competitors have substantially greater financial and other resources, better name recognition, larger research and development staffs, and more capabilities in manufacturing, marketing and distributing products than we do. Our competitors may develop new technologies and products that are more effective than our products. We are not ISO-9000 certified, which may limit some customers’ ability to purchase our products. However, we do not believe that our current determination not to seek ISO-9000 certification has affected our sales to date.

      As a greater number of competitors introduce products in a particular tape drive technology, the increased competition normally results in price erosion, a reduction in gross margins and a loss of market share for all competitors. We cannot assure you that we will be able to compete successfully against either current or potential competitors or that competition will not cause a reduction in our revenues or profit margins. We believe that our ability to compete depends on a number of factors, including the success and timing of new product developments by us and by our competitors, compatibility of our products with a broad range of computing systems, product performance, reliability, price, marketing and sales execution, and customer support. Specifically, we believe that the principal competitive factors in the selection of a tape library include:

      We believe our tape libraries compete favorably with respect to these factors.

Research and Development

      Our research and development group of 29 people consists of two teams. Our original team located in Simi Valley, California, has developed over 40 separate tape library models for eleven different tape formats over the last eight years. In fiscal 2002 we established our Advanced Development Group in Boulder, Colorado. They are responsible for the design and development of a new generation of tape libraries. Our engineers are a diverse and robust group who have the capability to meet the needs of a complex and demanding data storage market.

      Our research and development efforts rely on the integration of multiple engineering disciplines to generate products that meet market needs in a competitive and timely fashion. Successful development of automated tape libraries requires the integration of mechanical design, electronic design packaging, software design, and firmware design into a single product. Product success also relies on the engineering group’s

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      We frequently develop new products in response to the availability of new tape drive technology. As tape drive manufacturers compete in the marketplace, they continually invest in research and development to gain performance leadership either by offering increasingly enhanced versions of their current tape drive products or by introducing an entirely new tape drive technology. We benefit from these industry developments by utilizing the new technology in our products. Our engineers work closely with various tape drive manufacturers through the drive development cycle to assure that reliable tape library and tape drive combinations are brought to market.

      The design architecture of our tape libraries makes use of common parts across most product families giving us the ability to develop and introduce new products quickly. If a new tape drive is an advanced version of one already incorporated in one or more of our products, our time and dollar investment to incorporate the new drive can be relatively small, with the primary focus being on verification testing. When the form factors differ, the time and investment requirements can grow substantially, and may require development of a new product family altogether.

      We also develop new products as we identify emerging market needs. Our sales and marketing, product development and engineering groups identify products to fulfill customer and marketplace needs. Our research and development group concentrates on leveraging previous engineering investments into new products. For example, our firmware is based on successive generations of the operating system developed for our first library. We also use common parts in our different library series, and leverage our electro-mechanical and electronic hardware technology from previous products into next generation designs. In some cases, entire subassemblies are transferable, leveraging not only engineering time but also materials purchasing, inventory stocking and manufacturing efforts.

      Our research and development expenses were $1.3 million in fiscal 2001, $2.1 million in fiscal 2002, and $4.0 million the year ended June 30, 2003. We anticipate spending at our current level, or slightly higher, on research and development in the future.

Intellectual Property

      We rely on copyright protection of our firmware, as well as patent protection for some of our designs and products. We also rely on a combination of trademark, trade secret and other intellectual property laws to protect our proprietary rights. However, we do not believe our intellectual property provides significant protection from competition. We believe that, because of the rapid pace of technological change in the tape storage industry, patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret protection are less significant than factors such as the knowledge, ability and experience of our personnel, and timely new product introductions.

      We enter into Inventions and Confidentiality agreements with our development engineers to protect our technology and designs. However, we do not believe that such protection can preclude competitors from developing substantially equivalent products.

Employees

      As of September 21, 2003, we had 111 full-time employees, including 35 in manufacturing, 29 in research and development, 6 in customer service, 18 in sales and marketing, and 23 in finance and administration. We also employ a small number of temporary employees and consultants as needed. We are not a party to any collective bargaining agreement or other similar agreement. We believe that we have a good relationship with our employees.

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RISK FACTORS

Our principal competitors devote greater financial and marketing resources to developing and selling automated tape libraries. Consequently, we may be unable to maintain or increase our market share.

      We face significant competition in developing and selling automated tape libraries. Rapid and ongoing changes in technology and product standards could quickly render our products less competitive, or even obsolete. We have significantly fewer financial, technical, manufacturing, marketing and other resources than many of our competitors and these limited resources may harm our business in many ways. For example, in recent years several of our competitors have:

      In the future, our competitors may leverage their greater resources to:

      We believe competitive pressures are likely to continue. We cannot guarantee that our resources will be sufficient to address this competition or that we will manage costs and adopt strategies capable of effectively utilizing our resources. If we are unable to respond to competitive pressures successfully, our prices and profit margins may fall and our market share may decrease.

We have a limited number of executives. The loss of any single executive or the failure to hire and integrate capable new executives could harm our business.

      The success of our business is tied closely to the managerial, engineering and business acumen of our existing executives. William J. Gervais, our President, has been largely responsible for the development of many of our tape libraries, has overseen our operations and growth, and established and maintained our strategic relationships. We expect that he will continue these efforts for the foreseeable future. Our future success will also depend on our ability to attract, retain and motivate key executives and other key personnel, many of whom have been instrumental in developing new technologies and strategic plans. However, our current dependence on a limited number of executives, for whom replacements may be difficult to find, entails a risk that we may not be able to supervise and manage our ongoing operations.

Our suppliers could reduce shipments of tape drives and tape media. If this occurs, we would be forced to curtail production, our revenues could fall and our market share could decline.

      Automated tape libraries and related products, such as tape drives and tape media, represented approximately 89.3% of our revenues for fiscal year 2001, approximately 82.9% of our revenues for fiscal 2002, and approximately 79.8% of our revenues for the year ended June 30, 2003. We depend on a limited number of third-party manufacturers to supply us with the tape drives and tape media that we incorporate into our automated tape libraries. Some tape drive manufacturers, including Sony Corporation and Quantum Corporation, compete with us by also manufacturing tape libraries. There can be no assurance that other tape drive manufacturers will not also begin to manufacture libraries.

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      Historically, some of these suppliers have been unable to meet demand for their products and have allocated their limited supply among customers. If suppliers limit our supply of tape drives or tape media, we may be forced to delay or cancel shipments of our tape libraries. The major supplier risks we face include the following:

      Our other suppliers have in the past been, and may in the future be, unable to meet our demand, including our needs for timely delivery, adequate quantity and high quality. We do not have long-term supply contracts with any of our significant suppliers. The partial or complete loss of any of our suppliers could result in lost revenue, added costs and production delays or could otherwise harm our business and customer relationships.

Our revenues could decline if we fail to execute our distribution strategy successfully.

      We distribute and sell our automated tape libraries through value added resellers and original equipment manufacturers, and intend to continue this strategy for the foreseeable future. Value added resellers integrate our tape libraries with products of other manufacturers and sell the combined products to their own customers. Original equipment manufacturers combine our tape libraries with their own products and sell the combined product under their own brand. We currently devote, and intend to continue to devote, significant resources to develop these relationships. A failure to initiate, manage and expand our relationships with value added resellers or original equipment manufacturers could limit our ability to grow or sustain our current level of revenues.

      Our focus on the distribution of our products through value added resellers poses the following risks:

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      We depend upon our original equipment manufacturer customers’ ability to develop new products, applications and product enhancements that incorporate our products in a timely, cost-effective and customer-friendly manner. We cannot guarantee that our original equipment manufacturer customers will meet these challenges effectively. Original equipment manufacturers typically conduct substantial and lengthy evaluation programs before certifying a new product for inclusion in their product line. We may be required to devote significant financial and human resources to these evaluation programs with no assurance that our products will ever be selected. In addition, even if selected by the original equipment manufacturer, there generally is no requirement that the original equipment manufacturer purchase any particular amount of product or that it refrain from purchasing competing products.

      We do not have any exclusive or long-term agreements with our value added resellers or original equipment manufacturers, who purchase our products on an individual purchase order basis. If we lose important value added resellers or original equipment manufacturer customers, if they reduce their focus on our products or if we are unable to obtain additional value added reseller or original equipment manufacturer customers, our business could suffer.

We rely on tape technology for all of our revenues. Our business will be harmed if demand for storage solutions using tape technology declines or fails to develop as we expect.

      We derive substantially all of our revenues from products that incorporate some form of tape technology. We expect to derive substantially all of our revenues from these products for the foreseeable future. As a result, we will continue to be subject to the risk of a decrease in revenues if demand for these products declines or if rising prices make it more difficult to obtain them. If storage products incorporating technologies other than tape gain comparable or superior market acceptance, our business could be harmed.

We depend upon the AIT tape format supplied by Sony Electronics Inc. for a large portion of our revenues. Should Sony abandon or fail to advance this tape format, future revenues or operating results could suffer.

      Sony Electronics Inc. is our sole supplier of AIT tape drives and tape media. If Sony should discontinue manufacturing AIT tape products or fail to advance AIT technology to keep pace with the industry trend of increasing tape capacity, our revenues or operating results could be significantly impacted.

Our revenues and operating results may fluctuate unexpectedly from quarter to quarter, which may cause our stock price to decline.

      Our quarterly revenues and operating results have fluctuated in the past, and may fluctuate in the future due to several factors, including:

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      We believe that period to period comparisons of our operating results may not necessarily be reliable indicators of our future performance. It is likely that in some future period our operating results will not meet your expectations or those of public market analysts.

      Any unanticipated change in revenues or operating results is likely to cause our stock price to fluctuate since such changes reflect new information available to investors and analysts. New information may cause investors and analysts to revalue our stock and this, in the aggregate, may cause fluctuations in our stock price.

Our lack of significant order backlog makes it difficult to forecast future revenues and operating results.

      We normally ship products within a few days after orders are received. Consequently, we do not have significant order backlog and a large portion of our revenues in each quarter results from orders placed during that quarter. Because backlog can be an important indicator of future revenues, our lack of backlog makes it more difficult to forecast our future revenues. Since our operating expenses are relatively fixed in the short term, unexpected fluctuations in revenues could negatively impact our quarterly operating results.

If we fail to develop and introduce new tape libraries on a timely and cost-effective basis, or if our products do not contain the features required by the marketplace, we will eventually lose market share and sales to more innovative competitors.

      The market for our products is characterized by rapidly changing technology and evolving industry standards. The future success of Qualstar will depend on our ability to anticipate changes in technology, to develop new and enhanced products on a timely and cost-effective basis, and to introduce, manufacture and achieve market acceptance of these new and enhanced products. Our products are facing increasing competition from automated tape library products and likely will face competition from other types of storage devices that may be developed in the future.

      Development schedules for high technology products are inherently subject to uncertainty and there can be no assurance we will be able to meet our product development schedules or that our development costs will be within budgeted amounts. If the products or product enhancements developed are not deliverable due to technical problems, quality issues or component shortages, or if such products or product enhancements are not accepted by the marketplace or are unreliable, then our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

      The introduction of new storage technologies or the adoption of an industry standard different than our current product standards could render our existing products obsolete.

We depend upon independent software vendors to provide software that integrates our libraries with computer operating systems.

      The utility of an automated tape library depends partly upon the storage management software, which supports the library and integrates it into the user’s computing environment to provide a complete storage solution. We do not develop and have no control over the development of this storage management software. Instead we rely on independent third party software vendors to develop and support this software. Accordingly, the continued development and future growth of the market for our products will depend partly upon the success of software vendors to meet the overall data storage and management needs of tape library purchasers and our ability to maintain relationships with these firms. Although we do not have contracts with any independent software vendors, we maintain relationships with them by:

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Our customers have the right to return our products in certain circumstances. An excessive number of returns may reduce our revenues.

      Our customers have 30 days from the date of purchase to return products that do not conform with the end-user’s specifications. We may otherwise allow product returns if we think that doing so maximizes the effectiveness of our sales channels and promotes our reputation for quality and service.

      Although we estimate and reserve for potential returns in our reported financial results, actual returns could exceed our estimates. If the number of returns exceeds our estimates, our financial results could be harmed for the periods during which returns are made.

We may spend money pursuing sales that do not occur when anticipated or at all.

      Original equipment manufacturer customers typically conduct significant evaluation, testing, implementation and acceptance procedures before they begin to market and sell new models of tape libraries. This evaluation process is lengthy and may range from six months to one year or more. This process is complex and may require significant sales, marketing, engineering and management resources on our part. The process becomes more complex as we simultaneously qualify our products with multiple customers or pursue large orders with a single customer. As a result, we may expend resources to develop customer relationships before we recognize any revenue from these relationships, if at all.

We sell a significant portion of our products to customers located outside of North America. Currency fluctuations and increased costs associated with international sales could make our products unaffordable in foreign markets, which would reduce our revenue or profitability.

      Revenues from shipments to customers outside North America accounted for approximately 26.9% in fiscal 2001, 32.2% in fiscal 2002, and 29.4% in fiscal 2003. We believe that international sales will continue to represent a significant portion of our revenues. Our foreign sales subject us to a number of risks, including:

      These risks may increase our costs of doing business internationally and reduce our sales or profitability.

We may have to expend significant amounts of time and money defending or settling product liability claims arising from failures of our tape libraries.

      Because our tape library customers use our products to store and backup their important data, we face potential liability if our products fail to perform. Although we maintain general liability insurance, our

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A failure to develop and maintain proprietary technology may negatively affect our business.

      We rely on copyright protection of our firmware, as well as patent protection for some of our designs and products. We also rely on a combination of trademark, trade secret, and other intellectual property laws and various contract rights to protect our proprietary rights. However, we do not believe our intellectual property rights provide significant protection from competition. As a consequence, these rights may not preclude competitors from developing products that are substantially equivalent or superior to our products. In addition, many aspects of our products are not subject to intellectual property protection and therefore can be reproduced by our competitors.

Intellectual property infringement claims brought against us could be time consuming and expensive to defend.

      In recent years, there has been an increasing amount of litigation in the United States involving patents and other intellectual property rights. We currently are defending a lawsuit brought against us by Raytheon Company (“Raytheon”), which alleges that some of our tape library products infringe a patent owned by Raytheon. This lawsuit is described in Item 3 of this report. In the future, we may become subject to other claims or inquiries regarding our alleged unauthorized use of a third party’s intellectual property. An adverse outcome in litigation could force us to do one or more of the following:

      Whether or not an intellectual property litigation claim is valid, the cost of responding to it, in terms of legal fees and expenses and the diversion of management resources, could harm our business.

Undetected software or hardware flaws could increase our costs, reduce our revenues and divert our resources from our core business needs.

      Our tape libraries are complex. Despite our efforts to revise and update our manufacturing and test processes to address engineering and component changes, we may not be able to control and eliminate manufacturing flaws adequately. These flaws may include undetected software or hardware defects associated with:

      The variety of contexts in which errors may arise may make it difficult to identify the source of a problem. These problems may:

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      To address these risks, we frequently revise and update manufacturing and test procedures to address engineering and component changes to our products. If we fail to adequately monitor, develop and implement appropriate test and manufacturing processes we could experience a rate of product failure that results in substantial shipment delays, repair or replacement costs or damage to our reputation. Product flaws may also consume our limited engineering resources and interrupt our development efforts. Significant product failures would increase our costs and result in the loss of future sales and be harmful to our business.

Our officers and directors could implement corporate actions that are not in the best interests of our shareholders as a whole.

      Our executive officers and directors own beneficially, in the aggregate, approximately 44.5% of our outstanding common stock. As a result, these shareholders will be able to exercise significant control over all matters requiring shareholder approval, including the election of directors and approval of significant corporate transactions, which could delay or prevent someone from acquiring or merging with us. The interests of our officers and directors, when acting in their capacity as shareholders, may lead them to:

Some provisions of our charter documents may make takeover attempts difficult, which could depress the price of our stock and inhibit your ability to receive a premium price for your shares.

      Our board of directors has the authority, without any action by the shareholders, to issue up to 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock and to fix the rights and preferences of such shares. In addition, our articles of incorporation and bylaws contain provisions that eliminate cumulative voting in the election of directors and require shareholders to give advance notice if they wish to nominate directors or submit proposals for shareholder approval. These provisions may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control, may discourage bids for our common stock at a premium over its market price and may adversely affect the market price, and the voting and other rights of the holders, of our common stock.

We do not intend to pay dividends and therefore you will only be able to recover your investment in our common stock, if at all, by selling the shares of the stock that you own.

      We historically have pursued a policy of reinvesting our earnings in research and development, expanding our value added reseller and original equipment manufacturer relationships, and expanding our manufacturing capabilities. Consequently, we have never paid dividends on our shares of capital stock. We intend to continue this policy for the foreseeable future to strengthen our financial and competitive position in the tape library market.

      Qualstar leases all of the facilities used in our business. Our headquarters, manufacturing, and TLS and RLS engineering are located in a single building containing approximately 57,000 square feet located in Simi Valley, California. Our lease on this facility expires in February 2011, with an early termination option becoming available in February of 2007. Rent on this facility is $39,000 per month, with step-ups ranging from $2,400 to $2,800 per month every two years.

      Qualstar also leases approximately 4,300 square feet of office space in Boulder, Colorado, that houses our Advanced Development Group. The lease of the Boulder, Colorado facility expires in 2007. Additionally,

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      On January 10, 2003, Raytheon Company (“Raytheon”) filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas alleging that Qualstar and eight other named defendants infringe a patent owned by Raytheon entitled “Mass Data Storage Library.” Raytheon filed an amended complaint on or about February 6, 2003, which includes an allegation that Qualstar’s tape libraries infringe Raytheon’s patent. The complaint seeks an injunction against all defendants and an unspecified amount of damages. Qualstar responded to the complaint on March 7, 2003 and denied Raytheon’s allegations of infringement. The parties are currently in the process of pre-trial discovery. A patent claims construction hearing is presently scheduled for January 14, 2004 and a trial is scheduled for June 7, 2004, both of which will be located in Marshall, Texas. Qualstar and our legal counsel continues to analyze Raytheon’s patent and available defenses to the claims of infringement. Based on this analysis, we believe that Raytheon’s claims against us are without merit and we intend to vigorously defend against this complaint. We do not believe the ultimate outcome of this matter will have a material impact on our financial position or results of operations.

      From time to time, we may be involved in other litigation or legal matters in the normal course of business. However, other than the Raytheon matter discussed above, there are currently no other material proceedings, pending or, to the knowledge of management, threatened against Qualstar.

      No matters were submitted to a vote of security holders during the fourth quarter of the fiscal year ended June 30, 2003.

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MANAGEMENT

Executive Officers

      Officers are elected by and serve at the discretion of the board of directors. The executive officers of Qualstar as of September 26, 2003 are:

Background

      William J. Gervais is a founder of Qualstar and has been our President and a director since our inception in 1984, and was elected Chief Executive Officer in January 2000. From 1984 until January 2000, Mr. Gervais also served as our Chief Financial Officer. From 1981 until 1984, Mr. Gervais was President of Northridge Design Associates, Inc., an engineering consulting firm. Mr. Gervais was a co-founder, and served as Engineering Manager from 1976 until 1981, of Micropolis Corporation. Mr. Gervais earned a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from California State Polytechnic University in 1967.

      Richard A. Nelson is a founder of Qualstar and has been our Vice President of Engineering, Secretary and a director since our inception in 1984. From 1974 to 1984, Mr. Nelson was self employed as an engineering consultant specializing in microprocessor technology. Mr. Nelson earned a B.S. in Electronic Engineering from California State Polytechnic University in 1966.

      Thomas J. Studebaker has been our Vice President of Advanced Development since April of 2002. From 1997 to 2002, Mr. Studebaker was Vice President of Engineering, Storage Automation & Solutions Division of Exabyte Corporation. From 1991 to 1997, Mr. Studebaker was Director of New Product Development for Exabyte Corporation. Mr. Studebaker acted as Packaging and Robotic Development Manager of Storage Technology Corporation from 1977 to 1991. In 1966, Mr. Studebaker received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Colorado. Mr. Studebaker received his Post Graduate Certificate from the U.S. Army Management Engineering Training Agency in 1966.

      Frederic T. Boyer has been our Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since October, 2002. Prior to joining us, Mr. Boyer was Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Accelerated Networks from 1998 to 2001. From May 1997 to October 1998, Mr. Boyer was the Senior Vice President, Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer of Software Dynamics, Incorporated. From January 1996 to May 1997, Mr. Boyer was a consultant to several technology companies. From March 1990 to January 1996, Mr. Boyer was Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Fibermux Corporation, a networking company later acquired by ADC Telecommunications. Mr. Boyer holds an M.B.A. from Loyola Marymount University, a B.S. in Accounting from California State University, Los Angeles, and a B.S. in Economics from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.

      David L. Griffith, currently our Vice President of Operations, joined the company in October of 2001. From 1999 to 2001, Mr. Griffith served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Stardrive Solutions Inc., a software solutions provider for the broadcast automation industry. From 1998 to 1999, Mr. Griffith was the Corporate Vice President of Business Development at Tandberg Data ASA where he was responsible for the development of worldwide business plans and corporate expansion activities. From 1994 to 1998, Mr. Griffith was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Tandberg Data, Inc. located in Simi Valley, California. From 1990 to 1994, Mr. Griffith was the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Tandberg Data,

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      Mark R. Gilmore has been our Vice President of Sales since January of 2002. From August of 1974 through January of 2002, Mr. Gilmore held various positions in Sales, Marketing and Project Management on a global basis. Most recently Mr. Gilmore was the Worldwide General Manager of OEM Products for the Document Imaging Division and US National Sales Manager for Imagelink Archive Products. In 1985, Mr. Gilmore obtained an M.B.A. from Marquette University. In 1972, Mr. Gilmore graduated from Grove City College where he received a B.A. degree in Accounting.

      Robert K. Covey has been our Vice President of Marketing since 1994. From 1986 to 1993 Mr. Covey was regional manager of ATG Cygnet, an optical disk library firm. From 1982 to 1985, Mr. Covey served as national sales manager at Micropolis Corporation, a former disk drive manufacturer. Mr. Covey attended Butler University from 1965 to 1968.

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PART II

      Qualstar commenced its initial public offering of common stock on June 23, 2000. Qualstar’s common stock is quoted on the Nasdaq Stock Market’s National Market (NASDAQ Symbol — QBAK). The following table sets forth the high and low closing sale prices of our common stock as reported by NASDAQ, during the periods indicated:

      There were approximately 54 owners of record of Qualstar’s common stock as of September 19, 2003.

      Qualstar has declared no cash dividends during the periods reported. Qualstar does not anticipate paying cash dividends in the foreseeable future, but intends to retain any future earnings for reinvestment in its business. Any future determination to pay cash dividends will be at discretion of our Board of Directors and will be dependent upon Qualstar’s financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements, terms of any debt instruments then in effect and such other factors as our Board of Directors may deem relevant at the time.

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      The following selected financial data is qualified in its entirety by and should be read in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the financial statements and notes thereto included elsewhere in this 10-K. Our historical financial results are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for any future period.

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      The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with our financial statements and notes thereto.

Overview

      We design, develop, manufacture and sell automated magnetic tape libraries used to store, retrieve and manage electronic data primarily in network computing environments. We offer tape libraries for multiple tape drive technologies, including those using Advanced Intelligent Tape (AIT), Super Advanced Intelligent Tape (SAIT), Super Digital Linear Tape (SDLT), and Linear Tape Open (LTO) tape drives and media.

      Many enterprises now routinely manage very large databases, in addition to storing information on local desktop computers. This, coupled with the growth in the amount of data from new sources and applications, is increasing the need for managing and storing data efficiently. Anticipating the increased demand for large libraries, we have developed a family of tape libraries over the last eight years spanning a broad range of tape formats, prices, capacity and performance. Our product mix has changed over the last six fiscal years as we introduced new products to address additional tape formats and changing customer preferences. For example, during fiscal year 2003, we introduced a new series of rack-mount libraries compatible with the popular LTO and SDLT technologies. Furthermore, we were the first manufacturer to introduce tape libraries compatible with the new SAIT technology. We expect our product mix to continue to evolve in the future in response to emerging tape technologies and changing customer preferences.

      We have developed a network of value added resellers who specialize in delivering storage solutions to end users that are installed complete and ready to operate. End users of our products range from small businesses requiring simple automated backup solutions to large organizations needing complex storage management solutions. We also sell our products to original equipment manufacturers who incorporate our products with theirs, which they typically sell as a complete system or solution. We assist our customers with marketing and technical support.

      Our international sales efforts are currently directed from our headquarters in Simi Valley, California. European sales are coordinated through our European sales office in the United Kingdom. We intend to continue to develop our international markets and create additional outlets for our products. All of our international sales are denominated in U.S. dollars. Revenues from customers outside of North America were $13.9 million, or 26.9% of revenues in fiscal 2001, $12.1 million, or 32.2% of revenues in fiscal 2002, and $9.8 million, or 29.4% of revenues in fiscal 2003.

      We also design, develop, manufacture and sell ultra small high-efficiency open-frame switching power supplies for original equipment manufacturers of telecommunications equipment, servers, routers, switches, RAID’s, and other processor based equipment. Our power supplies are sold under the N2Power brand name through outside sales representatives and distributors. Revenues in fiscal 2003 were not significant and totaled approximately $216,000.

      Net revenues include revenues from the sale of tape libraries, library tape drives, storage media, and ancillary products. Ancillary revenues include service, repair, and on-site service warranties, net of the cost of any third party service contracts, and 9-track tape drives, which we announced as end-of-life in fiscal year 2002, and power supplies. Automated tape libraries and related products, such as tape drives and tape media, represented approximately 89.3% of revenues in fiscal 2001, 82.9% of revenues in fiscal 2002, and 79.8% of revenues in fiscal 2003. Sales of services and other products accounted for the balance of our revenues.

      Gross margins depend on several factors, including the cost of manufacturing, product mix, customer demand and the level of competition. Larger tape libraries provide higher gross margins than do smaller tape libraries primarily because of strong customer demand and less competition. Our gross margins have benefited from a shift in demand towards our larger tape libraries. However, some customers of larger tape libraries desire significant quantities of tape media. Sales of large quantities of tape media partially offset the higher gross margins associated with sales of larger tape libraries because tape media provide significantly lower gross margins than tape libraries. From time to time, we have been unable to meet demand for tape media because

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      Research and development activities include the design and development of new products, as well as enhancements to existing products. Our core group of engineers, located in Simi Valley, California, continues to work on new products and enhancements to our existing products. Our Advanced Development Group, located in Boulder, Colorado, will continue work on a new generation of automated tape libraries. We expect research and development expenses to hold steady or slightly increase in the next fiscal year as the Advanced Development Group, which was expanding its staff and level of activity during fiscal 2003, should be operating at its target level throughout fiscal 2004.

      We expect selling, general and administrative expenses to increase slightly in fiscal 2003, due to the increasing cost of employee benefits, the increasing costs of being a public company, and legal fees associated with our defense of the Raytheon lawsuit.

      We recorded deferred compensation of approximately $1.7 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2000, representing the difference between the exercise price of options and restricted stock awards granted to employees and directors during fiscal 2000 and the deemed fair value for accounting purposes of our common stock on the grant dates. Amortization of the deferred compensation was approximately $437,000 during fiscal 2001, $430,000 during fiscal 2002, and $301,000 in fiscal 2003, which was recorded as general and administrative expenses in the statements of income. Total deferred compensation amortization will be approximately $140,000 in fiscal 2004.

Results of Operations

      The following table reflects, as a percentage of net revenues, statements of income data for the periods indicated:

Fiscal 2003 Compared to Fiscal 2002

      Net Revenues. Revenues are recognized upon shipment of the product to the customer, less estimated returns, for which provision is made at the time of the sale. Revenues for the year ended June 30, 2003 were $33.6 million, a decrease of 10.8% compared to net revenues of $37.6 million for the year ended June 30, 2002.

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      The decrease in revenues was primarily due to an overall decline in the demand for our tape libraries using AIT tape technology and the significant decline in revenues from two of our largest customers. Revenues from our TLS tape library series are dominated by the AIT tape format. Due to competing factors in the marketplace, some customers migrated towards higher density tape formats, which were introduced in fiscal 2003, such as LTO2, rather than choosing AIT. Partially offsetting the decline in revenues from our AIT tape libraries, were revenues generated from the introduction of new models in the RLS Series of rack-mountable tape libraries.

      Revenues from tape libraries and related media decreased to $26.8 million, or 79.8% of revenues, in the year ended June 30, 2003 from $31.2 million, or 82.9% of revenues, in the year ended June 30, 2002. Selling prices of our libraries remained relatively stable during fiscal 2003. Average selling prices of library tape drives increased during fiscal 2003 due to a change in product mix. During the year, we sold more half-inch tape drives as a percentage of total tape drives sold. In general, half-inch tape drives are sold at a higher price than 8mm tape drives. Average selling prices of half-inch tape drives increased during the year due to the introduction of LTO2 tape format.

      Gross Profit. Gross profit was $12.4 million, or 36.9% of revenues, for the year ended June 30, 2003, compared to $13.9 million, or 36.9% of revenues, for fiscal 2002. Cost of goods sold consists primarily of direct labor, purchased parts, depreciation of plant and equipment, rent, utilities, and packaging costs. During fiscal year 2003, we were able to keep our margins stable.

      Research and Development. Research and development expenses consist of engineering salaries, benefits, purchased parts and supplies used in development activities. Research and development expenses for the year ended June 30, 2003 increased 87.0% to $4.0 million as compared to $2.1 million for the year ended June 30, 2002. This increase was due primarily to costs associated in bringing our new rack-mount libraries to market, the continuing operating activities of our Advanced Development Group in Boulder, Colorado, and to the development of higher watt power supplies. The Advanced Development Group was established in late fiscal 2002 to design and develop our next generation of tape libraries. During fiscal 2003, the Advance Development Group became fully staffed. We anticipate research and development costs to increase slightly in fiscal 2004.

      Sales and Marketing. Sales and marketing expenses consist primarily of employee salaries, benefits, sales commissions, trade show costs, advertising, technical support and travel related expenses. Sales and marketing expenses increased by 25.8% to $3.8 million, or 11.4% of revenues for the year ended June 30, 2003, as compared to $3.0 million, or 8.1% of revenues, for the year ended June 30, 2002. This increase was primarily due to higher advertising and promotional costs for the launch of the RLS product line and a decrease in marketing development funds from our key suppliers.

      General and Administrative. General and administrative expenses include employee salaries and benefits, deferred compensation related to stock options and restricted stock awards, provision for doubtful accounts, and professional service fees. General and administrative expenses decreased to $4.4 million for fiscal 2003 as compared to $5.2 million for fiscal 2002. As a percentage of revenues, general and administrative expenses decreased to 13.2% for the year ended June 30, 2003 as compared to 13.9% for the year ended June 30, 2002. The decrease in general and administrative expenses was due primarily to the fact that fiscal 2002 included an increase in the reserve for doubtful accounts of $1.6 million, while no similar reserve was established in fiscal 2003. Partially offsetting the decrease in general and administrative expenses were higher expenses for professional services and legal fees associated with our defense of the Raytheon lawsuit.

      Investment income. Investment income decreased to $693,000 in the year ended June 30, 2003 as compared to $1.1 million in the year ended June 30, 2002. This decrease was due primarily to an overall shift in our investment strategy, which places more emphasis on principal preservation than it does on income generation. In addition to this, the economy continues to experience low interest rates, which has had a negative impact on our portfolio’s overall performance.

      Provision for Income Taxes. The provision for income taxes was $274,000, or 33.3% of pre-tax income, for fiscal 2003 compared to $1.8 million, or 40.1% of pre-tax income, for fiscal 2002. The decrease in the

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Fiscal 2002 Compared to Fiscal 2001

      Net Revenues. Revenues are recognized upon shipment of the product to the customer, less estimated returns, for which provision is made at the time of the sale. Revenues for the year ended June 30, 2002 were $37.6 million, a decrease of 27.0% compared to net revenues of $51.6 million for the year ended June 30, 2001. The decrease in revenues was primarily due to an overall decline in the market for tape libraries and the decline of revenue from two major customers. Revenues from tape libraries and related media decreased to $31.2 million, or 82.9% of revenues, in the year ended June 30, 2002 from $46.0 million, or 89.3% of revenues, in the year ended June 30, 2001. Selling prices of our libraries remained relatively stable during fiscal 2002. However, selling prices of 8mm library tape drives declined during fiscal 2002, whereas half-inch library tape drives increased in overall selling price. The decline in selling prices of 8mm tape drives was attributable to reduced costs for these drives from our suppliers, which were passed through to our customers in the form of lower selling prices. Half-inch library tape drives increased in selling price due to introduction of the new, more expensive LTO and SDLT tape drives.

      Gross Profit. Gross profit was $13.9 million, or 36.9% of revenues, for the year ended June 30, 2002, compared to $18.4 million, or 35.6% of revenues, for fiscal 2001. Cost of goods sold consists primarily of direct labor, purchased parts, depreciation of plant and equipment, rent, utilities, and packaging costs. The increase in gross margin as a percentage of revenues was primarily caused by product mix.

      Research and Development. Research and development expenses consist of engineering salaries, benefits, purchased parts and supplies used in development activities. Research and development expenses for the year ended June 30, 2002 increased 67.0% to $2.1 million as compared to $1.3 million for the year ended June 30, 2001. This increase was due primarily to costs associated in bringing our new rack-mount library to market. In addition, we opened an Advanced Development office in Boulder, Colorado. Although not fully operational at June 30, 2002, there were nominal costs incurred in establishing this research and development facility during fiscal 2002.

      Sales and Marketing. Sales and marketing expenses consist primarily of employee salaries, benefits, sales commissions, trade show costs, advertising, technical support and travel related expenses. Sales and marketing expenses decreased 10.3% to $3.0 million, or 8.1% of revenues for the year ended June 30, 2002, as compared to $3.4 million, or 6.6% of revenues, for the year ended June 30, 2001. This decrease was due primarily to the decrease of commissions paid to our sales force as a result of lower sales.

      General and Administrative. General and administrative expenses include employee salaries and benefits, deferred compensation related to stock options and restricted stock awards, provision for doubtful accounts, and professional service fees. General and administrative expenses increased to $5.2 million for fiscal 2002 as compared to $3.3 million for fiscal 2001. As a percentage of revenue, general and administrative expenses increased to 13.9% for the year ended June 30, 2002 as compared to 6.4% for the year ended June 30, 2001. The increase in general and administrative expenses was caused primarily by an increase in our allowance for doubtful accounts of approximately $1.6 million primarily reflecting a single, insolvent customer.

      Investment income. Investment income decreased to $1.1 million in the year ended June 30, 2002 as compared to $1.2 in the year ended June 30, 2001. This decrease was due to primarily to a poor performing economy in which overall interest rates were low partially offset by an increase in funds available for investment.

      Provision for Income Taxes. The provision for income taxes was $1.8 million, or 40.1% of pre-tax income, for fiscal 2002 compared to $3.8 million, or 36.2% of pre-tax income, for fiscal 2001. The increase in the percentage of the provision for income taxes to pre-tax income was primarily due to a higher than anticipated state apportionment factor for California income taxes.

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

      Historically, we have funded our capital requirements with cash provided by operations. Cash provided by operating activities were $6.6 million in fiscal 2001, $4.1 million in fiscal 2002, and $6.0 million in fiscal 2003. In fiscal 2001 and 2002, operating cash was provided primarily by net income. In fiscal 2003, operating cash was primarily provided by reductions in accounts receivable and inventory. In fiscal 2001, cash flow from operating activities was primarily used to fund increases in inventories and the purchase of marketable securities. In fiscal 2002 and 2003, cash flow from operating activities was primarily used to purchase marketable securities.

      Cash used in investing activities was $609,000 in fiscal 2001, $11.0 million in fiscal 2002, and $4.7 million in fiscal 2003. Cash used in investing activities for fiscal 2001, 2002, and 2003 related primarily to purchases of marketable securities as well as equipment and leasehold improvements.

      On July 11, 2002, we purchased the assets and intellectual property of N2Power, Incorporated, a privately held company that designs and produces small and efficient open-frame switching power supplies. In consideration for the assets and intellectual properties, we paid $250,000, in cash, and incurred additional acquisition costs of $38,000.

      Our contractual obligations as of June 30, 2003 are as follows (in thousands):

      As of June 30, 2003, we had $6.2 million in cash and cash equivalents and $29.9 million in marketable securities. We believe that our existing cash and cash equivalents and anticipated cash flows from our operating activities, plus funds available from the sale of our marketable securities, will be sufficient to fund our working capital and capital expenditure needs for at least the next 12 months. We may utilize cash to invest in businesses, products or technologies that we believe are strategic. We regularly evaluate other companies and technologies for possible investment by us. In addition, we have made and expect to make investments in companies with whom we have identified potential synergies. However, we have no present commitments or agreements with respect to any material acquisition of other businesses or technologies.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

      Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based upon our financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principals generally accepted in the United States. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. On an on-going basis, we evaluate our estimates, including those related to customer promotional offers, sales returns, bad debts, inventories, warranty costs, investments, and income taxes. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

      We believe the following critical accounting policies affect our more significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements.

      Revenue is recognized upon shipment of products to our customers. Title and risk of loss transfer to the customer when the product leaves our shipping dock in Simi Valley, California. In general, these customers are allowed to return the product, free of penalty, within 30 days of shipment if the product does not meet the required specifications. After 30 days, customers generally are not allowed to return product to us without a restocking fee. We record an allowance for estimated sales returns based on past experience and current

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      We maintain an allowance for doubtful accounts for estimated losses resulting from the inability of our customers to make required payments. If the financial condition of our customers were to deteriorate, resulting in an impairment of their ability to make payments, additional allowances may be required. In addition, if the financial condition of our customers for which we have already established allowances were to improve, then their ability to make payments to us would be less impaired, potentially making such allowances unnecessary.

      We write down our inventory for estimated obsolescence or unmarketable inventory equal to the difference between the cost of inventory and the estimated market value based upon assumptions about future demand and market conditions. If technology changes more rapidly than expected, or market conditions become less favorable than those projected by management, additional inventory write-downs may be required. Likewise, if technology changes more slowly than expected, or market conditions become more favorable than those projected by management, inventory write-downs may become unnecessary.

      We provide for the estimated cost of product warranties at the time revenue is recognized. We engage in extensive product quality programs and processes, including actively monitoring and evaluation of product failure rates, material usage and estimation of service delivery costs incurred in correcting a product failure. However, should actual product failure rates, material usage, or service delivery costs differ from our estimates, revisions to the estimated warranty liability would be required.

      We do not currently record a valuation allowance to reduce our deferred tax assets because we believe that the assets are more likely than not to be realized. While we have considered future taxable income and ongoing prudent and feasible tax planning strategies in assessing the need for a valuation allowance, in the event we were to determine that we would not be able to realize all or part of our net deferred tax asset in the future, an adjustment to the deferred tax asset would be charged to income in the period such determination was made.

Item 7A.     Qualitative and Quantitative Disclosures about Market Risk

      We develop products in the United States and sell them worldwide. As a result, our financial results could be affected by factors such as changes in foreign currency exchange rates or weak economic conditions in foreign markets. As all sales are currently made in U.S. dollars, a strengthening of the dollar could make our products less competitive in foreign markets. Our interest income is sensitive to changes in the general level of U.S. interest rates, particularly since the majority of our investments are in short-term instruments. We have no outstanding debt nor do we utilize derivative financial instruments. Therefore, no quantitative tabular disclosures are required.

      See Index to Financial Statements at page F-1.

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      Not applicable.

      We carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of Qualstar’s disclosure controls and procedures as of June 30, 2003, pursuant to Rule 13a-15 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Based upon that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that those disclosure controls and procedures were adequate to ensure that information required to be disclosed in this report is recorded, processed, summarized and reported in a timely basis.

PART III

      The information called for by Items 10, 11, 12 and 13 of Part III of Form 10-K (except information as to Qualstar’s executive officers, which information follows Item 4 in Part I of this Report) will be included in Qualstar’s Proxy Statement which management intends to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after the close of its fiscal year ended June 30, 2003, and is hereby incorporated by reference to such Proxy Statement.

      The disclosure requirements of this Item are not applicable to Qualstar until the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2004.

PART IV

      (a)(1) The following documents are filed as part of this Report:

      (2) Supplemental Schedule:

All other schedules have been omitted since the required information is not present in amounts sufficient to require submission of the schedule, or because the required information is included in the consolidated financial statements or notes thereto.

      (b) Reports on Form 8-K. On May 1, 2003, Qualstar filed a report on Form 8-K to furnish information pursuant to Item 12 relating to Qualstar’s results of operations for the fiscal third quarter and nine months ended March 31, 2003.

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      (c) Exhibits:

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Item 8.     Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

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REPORT OF ERNST & YOUNG LLP, INDEPENDENT AUDITORS

The Board of Directors and Shareholders of

      We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Qualstar Corporation as of June 30, 2002 and 2003, and the related consolidated statements of income, shareholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended June 30, 2003. Our audits also included the financial statement schedule listed at the index in Item 15(a). These financial statements and schedule are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements and schedule based on our audits.

      We conducted our audits in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

      In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of Qualstar Corporation at June 30, 2002 and 2003, and the consolidated results of its operations and its cash flows for the three years in the period ended June 30, 2003, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. Also, in our opinion, the related financial statement schedule, when considered in relation to the basic financial statements taken as a whole, presents fairly, in all material respects, the information set forth therein.

Woodland Hills, California

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QUALSTAR CORPORATION

See accompanying notes

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QUALSTAR CORPORATION