Around
1986, when Toshiba first began developing notebook PCs, computers
(especially desktop computers), were becoming increasingly visible
in the office environment. The computers of those days used a CRT
display monitor, a 3.5-inch hard disk (HDD) with a thickness of
50.8 mm, and a 3.5-inch floppy disk drive (FDD) with a thickness
of 25.4 mm. As office automation level advanced from section or
department to personal, we sensed people would eventually demand
small PC that could be placed on a desk or carried around. To meet
this demand, we decided to develop a notebook PC that could be
used by anyone, anytime, and anywhere. We characterized this venture
in the catchphrases "a revolution on the desktop" and "a revolution
in portability".
In creating lightweight, compact PCs, we first assumed various scenarios
in which a PC would be used, then chose a design everybody would
want. But only parts for desktop PCs were available. To build an
ideal notebook PC, we had to set specifications for the parts necessary
for a notebook PC and build them from scratch. Working with FDD and
keyboard manufacturers, we developed a 19 mm thick ultra-thin FDD
and a 15 mm thick keyboard. We also developed a 2.5-inch HDD as a
built-in HDD for the DynaBook with a HDD manufacturer - a world's
first. Today, the 2.5-inch HDD represents an important area of the
computer industry. We developed our first 2.5-inch HDD for our notebook
PCs. We determined the specifications and had a HDD maker manufacture
the drives to our specifications. We had considered both 2.5-inch
and 2-inch HDDs, but finally chose the 2.5 inch factor, foreseeing
that this form factor would permit a doubling of capacity every year.
We also developed a thin CD-ROM to fit a notebook PC. For the display,
working once again with parts manufacturers, we developed flat plasma
and LCD monitors. For the battery, we developed nickel hydrogen and
lithium ion batteries. IN parts development, even when the parts
represented the first of their kind anywhere in the world, we secured
at least two vendors to reduce costs and to ensure a reliable supply.
For the DynaBook, we had two vendors each for the HDD, FDD, keyboard,
LCD, battery, system LSI (once called super integration), as well
as every other part. The development of components for the ideal
notebook PC resulted in dramatic growth in the markets for high-tech
parts and systems, creating a major new industry. Those parts and
systems included ultra-thin HDDs, FDDs, CD-ROM drives, DVD-ROM/RAM,
and other storage devices; lightweight, thin, power-saving flat plasma
or LCD monitors; and nickel hydrogen and lithium ion batteries.
To minimize power consumption, we adopted a computer-controlled power
supply - another first - and provided the DynaBook with power conservation
functions (e.g., resume, automatic shut-off of the monitor if no key
operations were detected for a certain period, CPU slow/stop, FDD
or HDD stop). Such functions eventually became core notebook PC functions.
The DynaBook was also the first PC bundled with word processor, spreadsheet,
and other applications software. We also adopted a world-standard
operating system (OS) for the DynaBook when most other Japanese manufacturers
relied on their own proprietary operating systems.
In 1986, in another world's first, we developed the J-3100 (T3100
on the overseas market), a commercial laptop PC that incorporated
an ultra-thin 3.5-inch HDD. In 1989, we developed a commercial A4-size
notebook PC DynaBook (T1000SE on the overseas market), the first
of its kind worldwide. In 1996, we developed the still more compact
Mininote Libretto. Our efforts led to the development of a lineup
of portable, compact, and power saving computers before our competitors.
We created a notebook PC market, in which we established a leadership
position.
For these new technologies, we won PC Magazine's Technical Excellence
award in 1986, the Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun Best Ten New Products Prize
in 1987 and 1989, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun award in 1988 and 1989,
and an Okochi prize from the Okochi Memorial Foundation.
|
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The word's first
laptop PC the J-3100 (T3100 on the overseas market) (1986)
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| Mr.
Bill Gates impressed by the J-3100. |
| The world's first
A4-size notebook PC -the DynaBook (T1000SE on the overseas market)
(1989) |
| Autograph of Mr.
Alan Kay, who named the PC DynaBook. "Soon we'll be able
to wear them!" |
The world's PC bundled
with word processor and spreadsheet - DynaBook EZ (1992)
and DynaBook EZP (1993)
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