gnu@toad.com (05/08/90)
Toshiba Corporation ;Yuji Wakayama (011) 81-3-457-4776 TOSHIBA UNVEILS WORLD'S FIRST RISC-BASED LAPTOP EWS. UTILIZES SUN MICROSYSTEMS' SPARC MICROPROCESSOR TOKYO May 8, 1990 Toshiba Corporation has developed the world's first laptop-type engineering workstation (EWS), the SPARC LT, AS1000/L10. The new computer runs on a RISC (reduced instruction set computer) microprocessor based on the SPARC M architecture designed by Sun Microsystems, Inc. This is the first-ever RISC chip to be used as the CPU (central processing unit) of a laptop computer. Japanese marketing has already begun and shipping will start in mid-July. Details on the overseas marketing have not been decided yet. The new computer is the result of a May, 1989 agreement between Toshiba and Sun Microsystems, under which Toshiba obtained comprehensive rights to develop and manufacture computers based on the SPARC architecture and the SunOS UNIX operating system. Through integration of the company's wide-ranging experience in laptop computers and component technologies, including semiconductors and displays, Toshiba has packed conventional desktop performance into an 7.8kg (17.7 lbs) laptop. The new computer processes at 13.2 MIPS (million instructions per second) and features 8 megabytes of main memory utilizing 16 units of Toshiba's 4-megabit DRAMs, a 180-megabyte hard disk drive (HDD), 64-kilobyte cache memory, high-resolution active-matrix monochrome LCD display (1,152 x 900 pixels1) with backlight, and a 3.5-inch floppy disk drive (FDD). In Japan, it is priced at Y1,980,000 (approx. US$13,200). The AS1000/L10 is compatible with all SPARC-based workstations, and can run approximately 1,700 third-party application software packages developed for SPARC-based workstations, as well as Japanese-language applications for Toshiba's AS-series (desktop-type EWS). This high-performance laptop EWS will further promote the "age of one computer per person" and enhance engineering efficiency by cutting development times. The small footprint of the AS1000/L10 will cut overhead costs by saving space. Toshiba expects the computer will be used in CAD/CAM (computer-aided design/manufacturing) and desktop publishing systems and software engineering field. Computers and workstations are constantly becoming faster and more compact and achieving ever more versatile functions. A major factor in this trend is utilization of new types of 32-bit microprocessors based on RISC architecture. RISC chips reduce the number of operating instructions the CPU needs to process information, making them faster than conventional CISC (complex instruction set computer) microprocessors. SPARC (Scalable Processor ARChitecture) was designed by Sun and introduced in its systems in l987. Toshiba was the first Japanese company to obtain the right to develop and market SPARC workstations. Since 1985, when Toshiba introduced the world's first laptop computer to the European market, the company has been a leading manufacturer of laptops. Total worldwide sales of one million laptops was achieved in September, 1989. Major specifications of the New Laptop EWS Model name : SPARC LT, AS1000/L10 CPU : SPARC Co-processor : WTL3171 Operating speed : 13.2 MIPS Operating system : OS/ASR4 (Japanese/English version) Display : 12-inch Active-Matrix Thin Film Diode (TFD) type liquid crystal display (LCD) with backlight Resolution : 1,152 x 900 [Sun Standard] Memory (max.) : 8MB (40MB) Hard disk drive : 180MB Floppy disk drive: 3.5-inch (1.2MB/720KB) Communication : Ether (standard) Modem (option) Expansion slot : 2 (Sbus x 1/Modem x 1) Mouse : 3 buttons Audio interface : available Option CRT : Color/Monochrome Size : 340mm (W) x 375mm (D) x 98mm (H) Weight : 7.8kg Power : 100-240V (automatic)