Fujitsu to enter the UMPC space - later!

As Australia's relentless Tablet guy today I sat with David Niu of Fujitsu PC Australia. He had been lead to me, by Microsoft Australia, as a “warm body” that knew a little about Tablet PC in the Australian Market place. :-)

As we sat in my local delicatessen, where I’d also held talks with Lenovo, I realized that this man had the same passion for Ink as I. We ate lunch, we drank coffee, and shared Tablet Tales; David, with his T4000 and P1510 on the table, and me with my trusty Sahara Slate. We discussed the past the present and the future, so I’d thought I’d ask the million dollar question; will Fujitsu announce the release of a UMPC device? Absolutely! Will it be anytime soon? Hmmmmmmm! Let me explain.

Fujitsu has a very strong connection with Siemens. Most of you in the European market would be aware of Fujitsu Siemens via their release of product focused in the mobile phone and notebook space. Some of these devices, like the LIFEBOOK Q2010, even ship with SIM card slots! This venture is focused on mobility and has developments in the pipeline that will have release dates for later this year. David talked of developments due later this year that would see Tablet PC reach as thin as 1cm (slightly over 1/3 of an inch) and see them ship Broadband-Enabled.

As I explored the Fujitsu Siemens relationship further I realized that it is much engrained; so much so that Fu (in FUjistsu) relates to the founder, while (Ji) relates to Siemens. Having established this I felt it could only mean one thing…a broadband enabled UMPC!

So where’s the dilemma? Fujitsu is a Japanese based firm that prides itself in sustaining a very non-western approach to business. If you look at a traditional business plan in the United States or Australia you may find a 5, 10 and maybe 20 year plan. If however you look at the same plan in Japan it’s not rare to find a 100-year outline of things to come. Fujitsu, as explained by David, is focused on getting it right! Does this mean that they are sometimes play follow, and not lead, for sure! Does it mean that this year may not be a scrucial for them as 5-years from now? Yes!

So what do I conclude? All this told me one very vital thing: Fujitsu will get it right before shipping with devices that potentially get it wrong. So what about UMPC, is it in their 5, 10, 20 or 100-year plan? I don’t know. What I do know is that when Fujitsu enters the Ultra Mobile PC market place it will be with confidence, and product that works…stay tuned.

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• Do you own a Fujitsu Tablet? Share your tales.
• Would a Fujitsu UMPC be exciting?