Fujitsu's PC 40 -year story

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The convertible 2in1, which has become a lot of spread in 2022, but appeared in the same style in 2007, "LOOX U"

The development concept of LOOX U is "PC equipped with a Windows system that can be carried around and used" [Photo] Third -generation LOOX U Fujitsu's laptop, which has been lighter to 494.9 g by actual measurement, its features are lighter, thinning, and small. There is a conversion. One of the representative products that realized these is LOOX U released in June 2007. Equipped with a 5.6 -inch wide super fine liquid crystal on an ultra -light body of about 580g. It was the world's smallest (at that time) that realized the palm -sized body of 171 x 171 x depth x 26.5 to 32.0mm in height. Moreover, it is a convertible type that rotates the screen, and a pen input with a touch panel is possible. The keyboard that secures a key pitch 14mm and a key stroke of 1.3mm is also standard on keyboard lights and fingerprint sensor authentication. If you use the optional large -capacity battery, it will be a battery drive for up to 8 hours, and it is a model that can easily perform mobile computing both in the house or on the go. Looking back at the materials at the time, it is as follows. "You can easily enjoy the Internet and videos on the way out of commuting or school, such as traveling, and in the house, you can sit on a sofa, lie down on a bed, or relax. You can enjoy it. LOOX U, which is equipped with full Windows (Windows XP Professional) compared to mobile phones and PDAs, which may be small or have difficulty seeing display layouts, the Internet visibility is also available. It is easy to use, and you can post and browse SNS and blogs when you like. "LOOX U first released in May 2007 as the" FMV-U8240 "for companies. In June, it was sold to individuals only on Fujitsu's direct sales site "Web Mart" as "FMV-BIBLO LOOX U custom-made model". Later, while evolving, it began to be sold on mass retailers. The third -generation LOOX U announced in January 2010 has evolved even more as a mobile laptop. I was particular about the concept of "Real Pocket Size PC". Aiming for ultra -size in the inner pocket of the jacket, "You can carry and walk without a bag, you can search for routes while standing on the train, and stop in the city and search for shops and maps. -There, it has realized elements as a life partner that can always be carried around. " What the development team aimed at in the 3rd generation LOOX U was to enter the inner pocket of the suit. In order to realize "carrying" beyond "carrying", entering the inner pocket of the suit was a symbolic idea. So, as the first step, the development team started by checking the size of the inner pocket with the men's clothing manufacturer. But I was surprised at the response. It turned out that the size of the inner pocket was different in all suits without the standard pocket size of the suit. The unexpected event from the first step was exactly what implied subsequent hardships. So, first, the two development teams were in charge of the inner pocket with the cooperation of a men's clothing store, and the size of the inner pocket was measured one by one. After examining a suit with 540 arrivals, it was found that if the outer periphery with depth and thickness was 130 mm or less, it would enter 91 % of suits (inner pockets). In addition, when put in the inner pocket, it also derives that it is 500g or less as a barrier to the left shoulder from falling. Wallets, paperback books, digital cameras, and plastic bottles were less than 500g, which was a sense of border between carrying or not carrying them. So the development team aimed for the weight of 495g below 500g. This size and weight as a small personal computer can also be found in small backs that women have. And the 360 ​​-degree paint that applies the same paint to the bottom of the main unit is also strongly conscious of carrying around. There are 12 types of mock -ups created by the development team before commercialization. All of the designs with different directions show that many trial and error have been repeated. In the history of diluting and lighter materials of Fujitsu PCs, we cannot miss the fact that the know -how of material development accumulated in the Fujitsu Group is being utilized. It was Fujitsu -ken at the time that accumulated the technology. Until the FMV-BIBLO NL (B5 size) released in 1995, it was the exterior of polycarbonate resin and ABS resin, as in the A4-sized laptop, but the FMV-BIBLO NP released in 1996 was launched in the empty polymeraloy material glass. Adopted fiber reinforced resin. As a result, the weight of the body was reduced to 28.2 mm, and the height of the body was reduced to 28.2 mm. Next, the FMV-BIBLO NS, which was released in 1998, adopted magnesium alloys by the chixomolding method. In 2004, he released FMV-BIBLO MGH, a carbon fiber enhanced resin. The FMV-BIBLO MG released in 2007 has achieved a size of 24.3 mm in height by developing a hybrid housing using MG+glass fiber reinforced resin. In particular, magnesium alloys under the chicken molding method have greatly contributed to the thinner and lighter Fujitsu personal computers. With this technology, a thin and strong molding can be achieved, and a magnesium heated to about 600 ° C is poured into a mold of about 300 ° C, and magnesium overflows from there, so that a thin and uniform housing can be formed. There is also a feature. The advantage is that the molding temperature is higher because the molten temperature is lower than that of a die -cast, and the molding is precise. In addition, the painting technology for magnesium alloy has evolved, making it possible to produce high -level housing. Lifebook UH75/h released in June 2012, which pursues thinning, achieves the world's thinnest of 15.6mm while equipped with a hard disk. He showed the advancedness of manufacturing using magnesium alloys. From the early stage, the fact that we have been particular about the material necessary for thinning and lighter weight has become one of the factors that the Fujitsu PC could lead to a mobile laptop. The 13.3 -inch Lifebook UH75/B1, which was announced in January 2017, which achieved the lightest weight of the world as a 13.3 type, is the leader of Fujitsu Client Computing (FCCL) in mobile laptops. It became a product to declare again. For about five years, Fujitsu's mobile laptops have been on a different route from the world's thinnest and the lightest in the world. Even with a mobile laptop, the direction of incorporating all functions in one unit and realizing an environment without any inconvenience wherever you go was prioritized. In other words, it was five years since I was focusing on a mobile laptop computer in the same environment as the office desktop computer. If you implement a high -performance, you have to compromise on weight and thinning as a trade -off. If you force it and reduce the weight, you will use expensive materials, which will increase the price. However, the development team was constantly considering as "light weight is an important factor because it is a mobile laptop computer." Lifebook UH75/B1 released the spells that could not be stepped on by giving priority to the full function, even if they wanted to reduce the weight. In order to bring a mobile laptop in a true sense, the development team has decided to challenge the highest goal of "lightest in the world" with the perception that lighter weight is the largest weapon. At that time, the fact that companies and others "want a mobile laptop computer that cut 1 kg" has also increased, which also supported development. In another aspect, the harsh voice of the market, which has not appeared as a Fujitsu computer for several years, has led to the decision to commercialize the world's lightest mobile laptop. It was clear from this word spoken by FCCL's Vice President Hiroyasu Takeda. "If you want to make it lighter, you can use the funds. I want you to select parts from zero without using general -purpose products for major parts." The instructions given are just unusual. FCCL was divided from Fujitsu in February 2016, but the development of Lifebook UH75/B1 as the world's lightest mobile laptop, with the mission of developing the first symbolic product under the new system. What you did is an element that you can't miss. The first goal of the development team is 777G. The goal was to lower the 779G of NEC's Lavie Hybrid Zero, which was the lightest mobile laptop computer at the time, and the development team was given a project name "Team 777". The development code name is named "Gram" reflecting the attitude of pursuing a light product even for 1G. Both the project name and the development code name are intended to pursue thoroughly weight reduction. Lifebook UH75/B1 adopts magnesium lithium alloy for the top plate as a material for reducing weight. In the liquid crystal panel, the glass that greatly affects the weight increased and the internal polarization plate was reduced to the limit. The keyboard is fixed with 72 screws to ensure strength and rigidity during key touch. The area around the battery cell is composed of a ladder -shaped frame, and the screws are tightened using the lattice part of the resin frame, and the weight and strength are balanced. Notable is the interface. Despite reducing the substrate area by about 20 % compared to the conventional, 3 USB ports and three units are placed. The interface required for the business scene, such as a wired LAN port, an SD memory card slot, and an HDMI terminal, is installed. In addition to simply reducing the weight, we realized that the necessary terminals were reduced without fail. At the time of the product announcement on January 17, 2017, the weight of Lifebook UH75/B1 was 777G, which was the development target. Once achieved the lightest amount in the world (on a 13 -inch class laptop. FCCL survey), on February 7, 20 days later, NEC Personal Computer announced a 769G mobile laptop "Lavie Hybrid Zero". Then, FCCL announced on February 22 that "the average value of about 300 units that started full -scale mass production was 761g", and the world's lightest seat was returned. Since then, FCCL has never given the world's lightest seat. As of January 2022, the latest model of the LefeBook UH-X mobile laptop, equipped with a 13.3-inch LCD display, is the lightest in the world, 634 g.

Katsuyuki Okawara