NEWARK, NJ, September 26, 2016 – Panasonic System Communications Company of North America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America (Panasonic), an industry leader in exceptionally reliable and innovative mobile computers, today celebrates the 20th anniversary of its industry leading Toughbook® mobile computers. During the past two decades, Toughbook computers have been an integral part of customer missions and expeditions around the globe. From the summit of Mt. Everest to the jungles of Borneo, across frozen Antarctica to the deserts of the Middle East, Toughbook mobile computers have continually evolved to deliver the durability, reliability and performance needed to keep pace with the ever changing mobile workplace.
Enjoying the past fourteen consecutive years as the undisputed market share leader of rugged laptops[i], Panasonic continues to pave the way in developing innovative new hardware, software and wireless capabilities—making Toughbook computers the choice for businesses and government customers around the world who are seeking a mobile computing device they can count on.
“The recognition of Toughbook computers and its dramatic evolution over the past two decades is a testament to our committed ecosystem of sales partners as well as our internal sales and engineering teams who take pride in the job they do and the customers we collectively serve,” said Magnus McDermid, Senior Vice President – Business Mobility Group of North America. “From our flagship Toughbook 25 computer to the industry’s first fully rugged detachable laptop, to our new handheld devices with voice capabilities, the team at Panasonic continues to lead the market with innovations in form factor, connectivity, reliability and performance, enabling us to deliver customized mobile computing technology based on direct feedback from our customers all over the world.”
Our strategy and vision align with what Panasonic is doing with its Toughbook product line, which is to build the best mobile and productivity services for today’s mobile-first, cloud-first world,” said Nick Parker, Corporate Vice President OEM Division, Microsoft Corp. “With Windows 10, we are pushing the boundaries of modern computing to bring exciting new software and services capabilities to the market, and industry partners like Panasonic are also pushing the limits with fantastic new hardware that brings these new experiences to life in remarkable ways.”
“Throughout the twenty year evolution of Toughbook computers, Panasonic engineers have taken full advantage of the computing power and reliability of Intel processors to create one of the world’s most rugged PCs,” said Navin Shenoy, Corporate Vice President and General Manager of the Client Computing Group, Intel Corporation. “We’re proud that Intel technology has contributed to Toughbook's success, and we look forward to continuing the great work with Panasonic for years to come.”
In addition to Panasonic’s ongoing investments in mobile computing R&D, Toughbook mobile computer users also benefit from Panasonic’s extensive vertical market expertise, key technology partnerships and its ProServices support organization that helps reduce the complexity of deploying and managing mobility projects.
Key Toughbook Milestones
The Toughbook product line has continued to incorporate the latest innovations as it has evolved over the last 20 years. The following are some of the highlights of Toughbook product milestones over the years:
· 1996 – Panasonic launched the first Toughbook product
· 1999 – The world’s first mobile computer to offer GSM communication
· 2003 – Panasonic was the first to feature a pivotal touch screen, which transformed into the popular convertible tablet PC
· 2008 – The world’s first fully rugged ultra-mobile PC
· 2012 – Debut of first Windows-based Toughpad
· 2016 – The world’s first fully rugged detachable laptop (2-in-1)
To commemorate this milestone, Panasonic is also announcing the “Who’s The Toughest Contest.” To enter, members of the public are encouraged to submit a video of their oldest working Toughbook computer. The contest will run from Oct.6 – Dec.31, 2016 and the winner will win a trip to the Toughbook factory in Japan to build their very own Toughbook. For a list of contest rules and to register visit us.panasonic.com/Toughbook-20years.
