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Dynabook Inc.

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This article is about the laptop manufacturer formerly known as Toshiba. For the children's laptop concept, see Dynabook.

Dynabook Inc. (Dynabook株式会社, Dainabukku Kabushiki-gaisha), stylized dynabook, is a Japanese personal computer manufacturer owned by Sharp Corporation; it was previously owned by, and branded overseas as, Toshiba, until 2018. Originally founded as a maker of typewriters in the 1950s, the company later expanded to personal computers; it notably launched the Toshiba T1100 in 1985, cited as the first ever commercial laptop PC.[1] The company was a major manufacturer of PCs until a decline in fortunes led to Toshiba selling the business to Sharp in 2018, with new products since rebranded to Dynabook worldwide.[2]

Dynabook Inc.
Native name
Dynabook株式会社
FormerlyKawasaki Typewriter (1954-1958)
Toshiba Typewriter (1958-1968)
Toshiba Business Machine (1968-1984)
Toshiba Information Equipments (1984-2016)
Toshiba Client Solutions (2016-2019)
Company typeSubsidiary
Industry
Founded9 September 1954; 70 years ago (1954-09-09)
HeadquartersToyosu, Tokyo, Japan
Key people
Tetsuji Kawamura (chairman)
Kiyofumi Kakudo (president)
ProductsPersonal computers
ParentSharp Corporation
Websitedynabook.com

As of 2019, Dynabook Inc. had 162.9 billion yen (US$1.5 billion) in annual sales and 2,680 employees;[3] as of 2020, Dynabook Americas described the business as being a "$60 billion global company employing nearly 200,000 in 30 countries".[4]

History

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Corporate

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The company began as Kawasaki Typewriter Co., Ltd. in 1954, which in 1958 was bought by Tokyo Shibaura Electric Co., Ltd. (later Toshiba Corporation), and the business changed its name to Toshiba Typewriter Co., Ltd.. In 1968, the name changed to Toshiba Business Machines Co..[5]

Toshiba Corporation established Toshiba Business Computers Co. in 1977, which was merged with Toshiba Business Machines in 1984 with the result company named Toshiba Information Systems Corporation. In April 2016, control of the PC business was transferred to a sales company targeting domestic corporations by means of a company split at Toshiba Corporation,[6] the resulting entity named Toshiba Client Solutions Co., Ltd..[3]

In 2018, Toshiba Corporation was in the midst of an accounting scandal, and was under pressure to cut costs;[2] Toshiba Client Solutions Co., Ltd. (TCS), the personal computer division, became 80.1% owned by Sharp Corporation,[3] in turn majority-owned by Foxconn;[7] Sharp paid $36 million for the shares.[2] TCS then changed its corporate name to Dynabook, Inc. Sharp exercised a call option on the remaining 19.9% of the shares on June 30, 2020, making Dynabook wholly owned by Sharp in August 2020,[8] and indicated plans for Dynabook to have an initial public offering in 2020 or 2021.[5]

Dynabook concept

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The 'dynabook' was a portable computer concept first introduced by Alan C. Kay in the 1960s and 1970s.[9][10] Tetsuya Mizoguchi, an executive in Toshiba's mainframe computer division, read Kay's paper "Personal Dynamic Media" in the March 1977 IEEE Computer; and inspired by the concept of a computer that could be carried and used by anyone of any age, Mizoguchi became determined to develop such a computer.[9]

The Dynabook trademark was already owned by other companies in Japan and the United States: Toshiba didn't use the name in the U.S., but ASCII Corporation had acquired the rights in Japan, so Toshiba paid a fee to ASCII to use the name there. The trademark rights in Britain, France, and West Germany were also able to be acquired.[10]

Toshiba used "DynaBook" or "dynabook" as its notebook computer brand in the domestic Japanese market since 1989,[11] but did not become a worldwide brand until 2019 after Toshiba offloaded the business to Sharp.[2]

Toshiba era

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Toshiba BC-8018B calculator, 1970s

In 1981, Toshiba released the first in a line of home computers under the Pasopia name, which run on a BASIC based operating system. The original model was also sold in the United States as the Toshiba T100. Toshiba Pasopia IQ was a separate line that was MSX compatible. In 1985, Toshiba released the Toshiba T1100, an 8-bit IBM PC compatible, which is claimed by them to be the first ever mass-market laptop computer.[1] The company launched the Toshiba T3100 in 1986, which was 16-bit; its Japanese variant the Toshiba J-3100 was the first 16-bit PC in Japan.[12] 1987 saw the launch of Toshiba T1000.

 
The original 'Dynabooks': Toshiba T1000SE and Toshiba DynaBook J-3100 SS001

The first Toshiba computer with the name DynaBook was announced on June 26, 1989,[9] released in Japan (model number J-3100 SS001[13]) featuring a 3.5 inch disk drive and full sized keyboard, weighing five pounds.[14] Its compact size, combined with its low price, made it a major hit in the country, and led to Toshiba adopting the DynaBook brand name for most of its future notebooks sold domestically.[15] Toshiba and the present day Dynabook Inc. have since commemorated it as the "world's first notebook PC".[16]

The DynaBook was later released in America but as the name could not be used, it was released as Toshiba T1000SE.[15] In August 1989, Toshiba's Tetsuya Mizoguchi sent a letter and a Toshiba T1000SE to Alan Kay in Boston, and in December Kay was Mizoguchi's guest at Toshiba.[9] The DynaBook along with NEC's 98 Note together accounted for the "vast majority" of notebook computer sales in Japan in the year 1990.[17] In 1990, the T1000SE became mandatory for all 82 students at Methodist Ladies' College, Melbourne.[9]

In early 1990, Toshiba released the T1000XE and T1200XE, aimed at competing against Compaq's LTE.[18] In 1992, Toshiba launched DynaBook EZ in Japan which had applications built into ROM.[19] The following year, EZ486P with a i486SX chip and featuring a built-in printer was released and achieved 3 million sales worldwide.[20][21] Also in 1993, Toshiba released a pen-based tablet computer under the name DynaPad.[22]

 
Toshiba Satellite 220CS (1997)

The Satellite series was launched as a value-priced line of notebooks.[23] In c. 1995, Toshiba launched the Tecra series which was described as their "flagship high-performance mobile computer".[24] In September 1996, Toshiba announced its first consumer desktop computer in the American market, called the Infinia,[25] a high-end, black-colored Pentium computer with analog TV/FM radio card included in its highest configuration.[26] The same year the company also released its first Libretto, a subnotebook or handheld computer running Windows 95.[27]

 
AccuPoint pointing stick on a Toshiba

Toshiba shipped its 10 millionth notebook computer in 1997.[28] In November 1997, the company announced the discontinuation of their Infinia desktop line.[29] In 2002, it launched the Portege 2000, called the "thinnest notebook" and weighing 2.6 pounds.[30] The Tecra M4 tablet PC was launched in 2005.[31] In September 2006, Toshiba recalled thousands of batteries, supplied by Sony, shipped with some of its laptops as they could lose power. However unlike the battery recalls by Apple and Dell in August 2006, which were also Sony-supplied, Toshiba reported that its affected batteries did not pose fire hazards.[32]

 
Dynabook E7 518CME (2003, Japan model)

In 2008, Toshiba released the Qosmio G55, the first laptop with embedded technology from the Cell processor, which Toshiba co-developed for Sony's PlayStation 3.[33] In December 2008, Toshiba and Sun Microsystems announced that Toshiba will ship laptops with OpenSolaris in the U.S. beginning in 2009.[34] In 2010 the Toshiba Libretto W100 was a one-off revival of the Libretto line[35] and was the "first dual-touchscreen" notebook.[36] In April 2011, Toshiba announced the DynaBook Qosmio T851/D8CR, described as "the world's first glasses-free 3D notebook PC able to display 3D and 2D content at the same time on one screen". It was slated for a release in Japan.[37] The Toshiba Portégé Z830 was launched as their first Ultrabook.[38]

 
Toshiba Satellite S40t running Windows 8

In 2013, Toshiba released the Kirabook, a high-end Windows 8 notebook.[39] In 2014, it launched the Toshiba Encore Windows 8.1 tablet and the Excite Go, a low-end Android tablet.[40] In a LaptopMag.com ranking the best and worst laptop brands, Toshiba was placed last in 2013 and again in 2016; it was placed fourth in 2011.[41] The DynaPad tablet running Windows 10 was launched in October 2015.[42] In March 2016, Toshiba announced that it will stop selling consumer notebooks in Western markets due to falling profits and instead only focus on business products and aiming for profits with business-to-business sales of premium products.[43] In 2017, Toshiba announced the Portege X20W 2-in-1 convertible.[44]

During the 1990s, Toshiba globally ranked as the largest manufacturer of laptop/notebook computers.[45][46] However its presence in desktop computers was limited, which led to it eventually exiting desktops to focus solely on mobile.[47] Toshiba remained one of the largest vendors in the market during the 2000s, and as of 2011 the company was selling 17.7 million PCs. However, it afterwards went into a steep decline, with sales falling to just 1.4 million in 2017 (a decline of over 90% in six years).[48]

Sharp era

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Dynabook Kira VZ83 (2020, Japan model, customized model)

With Toshiba in trouble amid an accounting scandal and under pressure to cut costs, it sold the majority of its PC business to Sharp Corporation. As a result, the company name and branding had changed to Dynabook effective in 2019.[2] On the 30th anniversary of the original DynaBook launch in 1989,[49][50] in July 2019, the first Dynabook-branded products in the West were launched: Portégé X30-F, Tecra X40-F and Portégé A30-E, as successors of previous generation Toshiba-branded models.[50][51] Also. the Dynabook G series was announced for Japan as a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the brand.[52] Dynabook have continued making very light laptops, especially in its premium Portégé line.[53] They have since also released education-specific models and TAA-compliant models for government use.

In 2021, Dynabook released its first Chromebook called C1 for the Japanese market.[54] As of FY 2022, Dynabook is the fifth largest PC vendor in Japan with a market share of 8%, trailing FCCL (Fujitsu), Dell, HP, and the leader NEC-Lenovo Group.[55]

In February 2024, Dynabook announced a recall of millions of AC adapters shipped with Toshiba notebooks from 2008 to 2012 due to burn and fire hazards, offering to replace them for free.[56]

Product ranges

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Current

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  • Portégé – premium business ultrabooks,[57] formerly subnotebooks (1994–present)
  • Tecra – business laptops (1994–present)
  • Satellite Pro – budget-friendly and "business essential" laptops,[58] formerly prosumer (1994–2016, 2020–present)
  • E series – budget education-focused laptops and convertibles (2021–present)

Domestic Japanese market

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  • T series, T/X series, C series, Y series (home notebooks)[59]
  • R series, G series, GS series, S series, M series (mobile notebooks)[59]
  • V series, F series, K series (convertibles)[59]

Former

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  • Libretto – handheld subnotebooks (1996–2002, 2005, 2010)
  • Qosmio – gaming laptops (2004–2014)
  • Satellite – consumer laptops (1992–2016)
  • T series – various portable computers and some desktop computers (1981–1995)
  • Equium –
  • Infinia – multimedia desktop computers (1996–1998)
  • Brezza – desktop computers (–1998; Japanese market)[60]
  • PV – desktop computers (–1998; Japanese market)[60]
  • DynaTop – all-in-one computers (Japanese market)[61]

Brand logo history

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  •  
    TOSHIBA (1969-1984)
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    TOSHIBA worldwide brand (1984-2019)
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    DynaBook, for notebooks in Japan (1989–2003)
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    dynabook logo used in Japan (2003–present), corporate logo for Dynabook Inc. and used globally (2019–present)
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  •  
    DynaBook FV475 501TW (1994)
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    Toshiba Tecra 8100
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    DynaBook SS 3010 (1998)
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    Toshiba Libretto ff 1000 (1999)
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    DynaBook SS 2000-DS80P (2001)
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    Dynabook A9 422CME (2003)
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    Dynabook Satellite J11 (2004)
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    Dynabook SS MX/370LS (2006)
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    Dynabook NX (2009)
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    Dynabook TV (2009)
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    Dynabook UX netbook (2009)
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    Toshiba AC100 (2010)
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    Toshiba Portégé Z830 (2011)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Dynabook the Note PC". Tokyo: Dynabook Inc. Archived from the original on 2020-06-29. Retrieved 2020-06-29.
  2. ^ a b c d e Kan, Michael (2019-04-02). "RIP Toshiba-Branded PCs, Long Live Dynabook". PCMag.com. Ziff Davis. Retrieved 2020-08-09.
  3. ^ a b c "Company Outline". Tokyo: Dynabook Inc. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  4. ^ "About Dynabook". Irvine, California: Dynabook Americas. Archived from the original on 2020-06-18. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  5. ^ a b "About Dynabook Laptop Computers". 2022-03-15. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
  6. ^ https://www.global.toshiba/content/dam/toshiba/migration/corp/irAssets/about/ir/en/finance/ar/ar2016/tar2016e_or.pdf
  7. ^ Chanthadavong, Aimee (2016-08-15). "Foxconn completes acquisition of Sharp". ZDNet. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  8. ^ "Toshiba Transfers Shares in Dynabook to Sharp". Toshiba Global (Press release). Tokyo: Toshiba Corporation. 2020-08-04. Retrieved 2020-08-10.
  9. ^ a b c d e Johnstone, Bob (October 1999). "The Dynabook at 10". Computing Japan. Vol. 6, no. 10. Tokyo. Archived from the original on 2020-06-29. Retrieved 2020-06-29.
  10. ^ a b 堀内 かほり (2006-06-21). "DynaBook J-3100 SS001 --- 常に持ち運べるパソコンの第一号機" [DynaBook J-3100 SS001: The first personal computer that you can always carry]. Nikkei xTECH (in Japanese). Nikkei Business Publications. Archived from the original on 2020-06-29. Retrieved 2020-06-29.
  11. ^ "Chronology of History". Tokyo: Toshiba Corporation. Archived from the original on 2020-05-07. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
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  21. ^ "DynaBook EZ486P-Computer Museum". museum.ipsj.or.jp. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  22. ^ https://news.softpedia.com/news/Welcome-to-the-Past-90s-Tablets-Were-Massive-Bulky-and-So-Very-Expensive-447417.shtml
  23. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/19961219003344/http://www.toshiba.com/tais/csd/products/index2.htm. Archived from the original on 1996-12-19. Retrieved 2024-11-19. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  24. ^ "Press Release 8/5". 1996-12-20. Archived from the original on 1996-12-20. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  25. ^ "Press Release 9/10". 1996-12-20. Archived from the original on 1996-12-20. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  26. ^ "Let Darth Vader Handle Your Data".
  27. ^ "TOSHIBA DynaBook History". 2001-02-15. Archived from the original on 2001-02-15. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  28. ^ "Toshiba Computer Systems: Press Releases, News and Awards". 1998-01-19. Archived from the original on 1998-01-19. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
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  30. ^ "Toshiba's Flatter Laptop". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  31. ^ https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/tools-of-the-trade-the-toshiba-tecra-m4-tablet-pc-493816.html
  32. ^ "Toshiba recalls 340,000 batteries". 2006-09-19. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  33. ^ Eaton, Kit (2008-07-15). "Toshiba Qosmio G55 is First Laptop With Cell Processor Aboard". Gizmodo. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  34. ^ "OpenSolaris now on Toshiba laptops". ZDNET. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  35. ^ "BBC - dot.Rory: Toshiba takes the tablets". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  36. ^ "News Release (21 Jun, 2010): Toshiba introduces the world's first dual-touch-screen Windows® mini-n | News | Toshiba". www.global.toshiba. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  37. ^ "News Release (20 Apr, 2011): Toshiba Unveils the World's First Glasses-free 3D Notebook PCs Able to | News | Toshiba". www.global.toshiba. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  38. ^ https://www.theregister.com/2011/11/03/toshiba_prices_up_portege_satelite_z830_ultrabook/
  39. ^ Pierce, David (2013-05-13). "Toshiba Kirabook review: finally, a flagship Windows 8 laptop". The Verge. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  40. ^ Howse, Brett. "Toshiba Launches Six New Intel Tablets and Laptops, Including $110 Android Tablet". www.anandtech.com. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  41. ^ LAPTOP Editors (2016-03-24). "Toshiba: Best and Worst Laptop Brands". LaptopMag. Retrieved 2024-11-19. {{cite web}}: |author1= has generic name (help)
  42. ^ Blog, Windows Experience; Team, The Windows (2015-10-13). "Toshiba introduces a Unique Windows 10 Tablet, the dynaPad". Windows Experience Blog. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  43. ^ "Toshiba retreats from the consumer laptop market". Digital Spy. 2016-03-30. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  44. ^ "Toshiba turns to enterprises to boost laptop sales - Business". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  45. ^ https://www.nytimes.com/1993/06/23/business/notebooks-may-hold-key-to-ibm-s-revival.html
  46. ^ www.bizjournals.com https://www.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/1999/08/16/story5.html. Retrieved 2024-11-19. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  47. ^ admin-ectnews (2002-06-03). "Toshiba Topples Dell in Global Notebook Battle". E-Commerce Times. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  48. ^ Lyons, Kim (2020-08-09). "Toshiba is officially out of the laptop business". The Verge. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  49. ^ "First European dynabook-branded laptops launch to celebrate 'dynabook Day'". PCR. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  50. ^ a b "Computing Leader Unveils First Dynabook Branded Products in the United States | Press Releases | Toshiba Laptops, Netbooks, Electronics & Accessories". us.dynabook.com. 2022-03-22. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  51. ^ Anthony Spadafora (2019-10-22). "Dynabook reveals one of first Microsoft secured-core PCs". TechRadar. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  52. ^ 株式会社インプレス (2019-01-17). "『dynabookに求められるもの』をカタチにした30周年記念モデル". PC Watch (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  53. ^ Chin, Monica (2022-03-03). "Dynabook's new Portégé will be one of the lightest laptops you can buy". The Verge. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  54. ^ Linder, Brad (2021-04-06). "Dynabook Chromebook C1 features a Snapdragon 7c processor and 4G LTE". Liliputing. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  55. ^ "国内PC出荷台数シェア 3位「デル」、2位「日本HP」、1位は？". ITmedia ビジネスオンライン (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  56. ^ "Dynabook Americas Recalls 15.5 Million Toshiba Laptop AC Adapters Due to Burn and Fire Hazards". U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  57. ^ "Dynabook Laptops | Laptops for Business Professionals". business.sharpusa.com. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  58. ^ https://www.sharp.co.uk/news-and-events/blog/who-are-dynabook-now-they-are-part-of-the-sharp-corporation
  59. ^ a b c "dynabookのノートパソコン人気おすすめ12選！シリーズごとの特徴や選び方も解説 | マイナビおすすめナビ". マイナビおすすめナビ | 買いたいものがきっと見つかる。 (in Japanese). 2024-09-18. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  60. ^ a b "マニュアルダウンロード（1996年発表製品一覧） | dynabook（ダイナブック公式）". dynabook.com. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  61. ^ "Press Releases 28 June, 1999 | News | Toshiba". www.global.toshiba. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
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