Toshiba Exits the PC Business

Two years ago, Toshiba signaled its intention to get out of the personal computer business by transferring 80.1 percent of its Toshiba Client Solutions (TCS) shares to Foxconn-owned Sharp.

Last week, the company confirmed all remaining shares had also been transferred to Sharp, and with it Toshiba completed its exit from the PC sector.

The Japanese multinational counts a number of firsts in its history, with the company being founded back in 1875.

In 1912 it gave us the first radar, then the first TAC digital computer in 1954, the first transistor TV and microwave oven in 1959, the first color video phone in 1971, and the first MRI system in 1982.

We also can't forget NAND EEPROM (1986), DVDs (1996), and HD DVDs (2005), but most important of all to Daxdi in particular, Toshiba gave us the first laptop back in 1985.

The Toshiba T1100 ran MS-DOS 2.11 using an Intel 80C88 processor running at 4.77Mhz with 256kB of RAM (upgradeable to 512kB).

The display was a text-mode monochrome LCD that could also display graphics at a resolution of 640-by-200.

It weighed 4.1kg and cost $1,899.

The T1100 was recognized as a key historical achievement in electrical and electronic engineering when it was named an IEEE Milestone in 2009.

A photo of the German version of the T1100 can be found on Wikipedia.

Since then, Toshiba becamse a household name and well-known within business circles for its laptops, and in particular the Satellite, Tecra, and Portege brands.

However, in 2018 the company announced a share purchase agreement had been reached with Sharp and 80.1 percent of shares were transferred to the company.

In a news release last week, discovered via TechSpot, Toshiba confirmed the remaining 19.9 percent in Dynabook Inc.

had also been transferred, meaning Dynabook "has become a wholly owned subsidiary of Sharp" and Toshiba no longer has any interest in the PC business.

Toshiba continues to operate in a number of different technology-focused fields including semiconductors, storage, energy systems, and digital and retail solutions, as well as building solutions, but if it needs any personal computers for those business ventures, they'll all be sourced from other companies going forward.

Two years ago, Toshiba signaled its intention to get out of the personal computer business by transferring 80.1 percent of its Toshiba Client Solutions (TCS) shares to Foxconn-owned Sharp.

Last week, the company confirmed all remaining shares had also been transferred to Sharp, and with it Toshiba completed its exit from the PC sector.

The Japanese multinational counts a number of firsts in its history, with the company being founded back in 1875.

In 1912 it gave us the first radar, then the first TAC digital computer in 1954, the first transistor TV and microwave oven in 1959, the first color video phone in 1971, and the first MRI system in 1982.

We also can't forget NAND EEPROM (1986), DVDs (1996), and HD DVDs (2005), but most important of all to Daxdi in particular, Toshiba gave us the first laptop back in 1985.

The Toshiba T1100 ran MS-DOS 2.11 using an Intel 80C88 processor running at 4.77Mhz with 256kB of RAM (upgradeable to 512kB).

The display was a text-mode monochrome LCD that could also display graphics at a resolution of 640-by-200.

It weighed 4.1kg and cost $1,899.

The T1100 was recognized as a key historical achievement in electrical and electronic engineering when it was named an IEEE Milestone in 2009.

A photo of the German version of the T1100 can be found on Wikipedia.

Since then, Toshiba becamse a household name and well-known within business circles for its laptops, and in particular the Satellite, Tecra, and Portege brands.

However, in 2018 the company announced a share purchase agreement had been reached with Sharp and 80.1 percent of shares were transferred to the company.

In a news release last week, discovered via TechSpot, Toshiba confirmed the remaining 19.9 percent in Dynabook Inc.

had also been transferred, meaning Dynabook "has become a wholly owned subsidiary of Sharp" and Toshiba no longer has any interest in the PC business.

Toshiba continues to operate in a number of different technology-focused fields including semiconductors, storage, energy systems, and digital and retail solutions, as well as building solutions, but if it needs any personal computers for those business ventures, they'll all be sourced from other companies going forward.