Fujitsu Taiwan Ltd launched its first ultra-mobile PC (UMPC) model in Taiwan yesterday, following launches in other Asia-Pacific markets, hoping the machine will make a splash in the region.
"Mobile users now need a portable computer that offers them full computing power, but in a smaller package," said Hanson Yap (葉瀚升), Fujitsu's product manager for the Asia-Pacific.
Sales, insurance and media executives who are always on the go are a good fit for UMPCs, which should meet their needs to connect to back-end office systems, he told reporters at a product launch yesterday.
UMPCs are super-portable, fully featured computers similar to notebooks. But with a standard 7-inch touch screen, they are roughly the size of a paperback and weigh less than 1kg.
The uptake of UMPCs will be slow, said Aaron Kok (
"Performance of the smaller processors may not be on par with those used in normal notebooks and short battery life is another headache," said Kok, who reviewed Asustek Computer Inc's (華碩電腦) R2H, AMtek System Co's (奐億科技) T700 and Sony Corp's Vaio UX17.
"But it is still appealing to some as it is small, giving users an easy platform to surf the Internet anywhere," he said.
The Fujitsu LifeBook U1010, introduced yesterday, measures 5.6 inches and weighs just more than 0.5kg.
Despite its petite shape, the "mini powerhouse" can handle operations such as movie playback, Internet surfing, music listening, video-conferencing and Internet telephony.
With a retail price of NT$46,800 (US$1,400), the U1010 is expected to hit local shelves by the end of this month.
The company is confident it will sell approximately 500 units a month in the local market alone, Fujitsu product manager Frank Hsieh (
The UMPC received an overwhelming response, with the first-batch of 500 units selling out within two weeks after the launch in Hong Kong last month, Hsieh said.
"Judging from the positive feedback from Asian markets, sales of the U1010 could easily hit 4,000 units a month in Asia," he said.
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