White PapersThe report also includes analysis by IDC that while desktops still proliferate in the workplace, the migration to notebooks will increase. New developments in dual-core processors and battery technology have minimized performance and mobility concerns that were among the traditional barriers to widespread adoption.
Executive Summary: In the SMB computing landscape, notebooks are fast overtakingdesktops as the computer of choice. New developments in dual-core processors and bat-tery technology have minimized performance and mobility concerns which wereamong the traditional barriers to widespread adoption. In addition, consumers areincreasingly buying notebooks, and that tendency has easily made the transition into theprofessional space. With enhanced performance, improved wireless capabilities andsmaller form factors, organizations will look to notebooks to address the needs of theirworkforce for flexibility, mobility and productivity. As traditional barriers to notebookadoption havesubsided, IT and business decision makers haveraised their requirementsfor durability and security. Recent testing, commissioned by Toshiba and conducted bythe PC WorldTest Center (PC WorldTests) indicates that Toshiba s Tecra Notebook withIntel Centrino mobile technology offers important durability features and characteris-tics. By protecting data and maintaining system operability after PC World s series ofextreme tests, Toshiba s Tecra pushes notebooks closer to becoming a viable desktopalternativefor today s mobile, flexible and dispersed workforce.T OUGHE NOUGHPC WORLDTESTS: TOSHIBA S NOTEBOOKS STAND UP TO ENTERPRISE DEMANDS SP O N S O R E D B Y :D U R A B I L I T Y R E P O R TA W H I T E P A P E RVisit www.durabilitycenter.com for more information about the Tecra and notebook durability.Untitled DocumentD URABILITY REPORTDURABILITY REPORTThePC World TestsTo address the durability concerns of IT decisionmakers, Toshiba contracted with PC Worldfor thesecond year in a row to test the durability of its Tecranotebook.* PC Worldtested two units under threestressful and extreme conditions:" Vibration and shock" Liquid spill" Drop impact testingBackgroundToshiba s quality assurance and design engi-neers collaborated on the development of theTecra notebook computer. The two teamsworked to develop a mobile computing solutionthat increases reliability, quality and productiv-ity expectations for a notebook computer.Toshiba uses the Highly Accelerated LifecycleTesting (HALT) procedure during phases of thesystem design. HALT is a combination of stresstests including exposure to extreme and rapidtemperature variations, as well as shock andvibration testing. The exhaustive HALT proce-dure subjects notebooks to accelerated stresstesting so that the quality assurance and designteams can identify and eliminate potentialdesign concerns, and thus deliver Toshiba s mostdurable notebook computers.Two of the same models of the Tecra notebookwere subjected to identical tests. The followingdescribes the chronology of all the tests performedby PC World:" Each notebook was dropped three (3) times froma height of 1 inch onto its bottom surface to a desk." Each notebook was dropped three (3) times froma height of 6 inches onto its bottom surface to acushioned sofa. " Each notebook had 100 ml (about 3.9 ounces) ofwater slowly poured into its keyboard." Each notebook was dropped on each of itsedges left, right, front, rear from a height of 39inches onto a tile linoleum floor, for a total of four(4) drops each." Each notebook was dropped on its bottom surfacefrom a height of 27.5 inches." Each notebook was dropped on its top/displaysurface from a height of 27.5 inches .2INTRODUCTIONccording to analysis from BCC Research, the worldwide market for notebook computers will risefrom 53.3 billion in 2006 to 69.2 billion by the end of 2011. (The Future of Mobile Computing,http://www.bccresearch.com/ift/IFT060A.asp). The adoption of notebooks will increase acrossthe organization as manufacturers tackle traditional issues surrounding performance, battery life and formfactor, and notebooks become attractive alternatives to desktop computing. Notebooks provide organiza-tions with a significant enhancement over desktop machines which limit computing to a single location or toa location-to-location basis. IT decision makers will increasingly be drawn to notebooks due to their portabil-ity and ability to allow end users to compute anywhere. Issues concerning durability and reliability will thenbe at the forefront as end users increasingly come to rely on notebooks for their computing needs.A*Toshiba has not conducted any tests to determine whether these test results are typical. Toshiba notebooks are not waterproof or waterresistant and spills of any liquid will damage them. Toshiba s standard limited warranty terms and limitations apply.Untitled Document" Each notebook was dropped on its bottom surfacefrom a height of 39 inches." Each notebook was dropped on its top/displaysurface from a height of 39 inches. The notebooks, which were production models,were fully charged and tested under DC power forall tests, except the drop tests. All notebooks had Microsoft Vista"Businessinstalled using default settings. Several test fileswere also loaded.All tests were conducted in parallel on two separateunits, and each unit was subjected to all tests.Under the vibration and shock testing, and the droptest, each unit was dropped at least 14 times fromheights ranging between 1 inch and 39 inches. Aftereach drop, technicians were able to quickly repairany minor physical damage that ensued and thenmove on to the next test. For the liquid spill test, testers poured 100 ml(about 3.9 ounces) of water onto the keyboard ofeach unit. It s important to note that the units sub-ject to the liquid spill tests were the same units thathad already been subjected to the previous vibra-tion and shock tests.The pre-production models subject to durabilitytests in 2006 were loaded with Windows XP . Otherthan that, the tests and methodology remainedlargely unchanged from 2006 to 2007. For bothyears, PC World testers were able to power on, saveand access all data, without the need to resort toexpensive data recovery measures. Overall, the dataon the notebooks was mostly undisturbed.However the notebooks did sustain varying degreesof physical damage.Vibration and Shock TestingOnce the software load was finalized, PC Worldtesters checked the integrity of the hard disk withthe Microsoft CHKDSK utility. The PC Worldtesters also checked for any bad sectors or othererrors and found none. The notebooks were first dropped three (3) timesfrom a height of 1 inch onto a desk, and thendropped three (3) times from a height of 6 inchesonto a cushioned sofa. After each drop, PC Worldtesters evaluated whether or not the hard drivevibration detection utility activated and con-firmed that the HDD content did not become cor-rupt or contain errors.3D U R A B I L I T Y R E P O R TIntel stresses agility, innovationBusinesses demand agility and innovationto build out a technology infrastructurethat is more manageable, keeps critical business datamore secure, and provides headroom for growth.Employees demand agility and innovation to be moreproductive, save time and money and connect with cus-tomers when they need to. The new Intel Centrino Duomobile technology with Intel Core"Duo processor builtin represents Intel s best technologies to help do all that.Starting with a new mobile dual-core processor, coupledwith optimized components designed to deliver an out-standing and extended mobile experience with littleimpact on system responsiveness, the Intel Centrino Duo mobile technology with Intel Core" Duo processoralso enables improved battery life for your mobile work-force. In addition, new advanced manageability tech-nologies allow you to better manage and enhance thesecurity of the systems in your environment whileextended communication capabilities enable your work-force to collaborate in ways they never have before.Untitled Document4The notebooks passed the vibration and shocktests with no CHKDSK errors. Testing at all threesensitivity levels confirmed that no bad sectorswere incurred.Liquid Spill TestingIn the liquid spill testing, PC Worldtesters slowlypoured 100 ml of water about 3.9 ounces between the H & J keys on thetest notebooks. Each pourlasted 30 seconds. At 1 minute,PC Worldtesters tried to savethe files using the touchpad.Since the touchpad was inop-erable, PC Worldtesters had tosave the files using CTRL-S onboth Toshiba units. On oneunit, the display went verydim, making it difficult to seethe cursor. At the 1 minute-mark, one notebook success-fully saved and powereddown, while the other note-book started the shutdownprocess, but did not seem todo so completely before thescreen went dark. At the 2-minute mark, PC Worldtesters attemptedto shut down the system on both units. The note-books were dried with paper towels without tiltingthem from their orientation. At the 3-hour mark, PC Worldtesters attempted toboot the notebooks. Since this step was not com-pletely successful, PC Worldtesters added otherattempts at the 5-hour mark and after a 72-hour dry-ing period and then they attempted to reboot andcheck the successful file save again. At the 5-hour mark, testers were not able to boot eitherunit. After a 72-hour drying period (over a weekend),both units started up successfully. PC Worldtestershad cursor control and keyboard control and wereable to confirm the successful SAVE of the files. Both notebooks allowed PC Worldtesters to save datato the HDD during the liquid spill test. Despite physicaldamage to the notebooks, testers were eventually ableto fully save and re-open the active file. Drop Impact TestingPC Worldtesters confirmed through the use ofMicrosoft CHKDSK that both notebooks passed thedrop impact tests with no data loss or irreparable datacorruption. However, both units suffered varyingdegrees of cosmetic damage during the series of drops.The notebooks were dropped on each of their sixsides, with the designated side impacting the tilelinoleum floor first. Drops on the left, right, front andrear sides of the notebooks were performed from aheight of 39 inches. Drops onto the top and bottomsides were performed at 27.5 inches and 39 inches.During all drops, the lids of the notebooks wereclosed. Prior to each subsequent drop, PC Worldtesters took simple steps such as popping keyboardbezels in place, closing an optical drive door andreconnecting separated plastic to restore the physi-cal integrity of the notebook. Since the keyboardsand the touchpads of both notebooks were incapaci-tated during the previous liquid spill tests, PC Worldtesters used an external USB keyboard and mouse tooperate the user interface and confirm data integrity. Highlights of the tests included:" Zero bad sectors all data was protected and accessible." Four CHKDSK errors were auto-fixed with no loss of data.D URABILITY REPORTThe notebookswere dropped oneach of their sixsides, with thedesignated sideimpacting the tilelinoleum floorfirst. Drops onthe left, right,front and rearsides of the note-books were per-formed from aheight of 39inches.Untitled Document" Physical damage included popped keyboard bezels,popped battery compartments, minor scratches, apopped optical drive bay, some separation of theLCD screen from the panel, a popped PC Card but-ton, and a displaced PC Card cover.Technicians repaired much of the damage betweendrops by taking simple steps such as closing theoptical drive door and reconnecting separated plas-tic components.Conclusion There s an increasing trend among organizations toadopt mobile technologies. With improvements inperformance, form factor and connectivity, note-book computers are becoming a viable alternative todesktops. For the IT department, such a migrationraises the importance of durability and reliability.Even in the course of normal usage by business peo-ple, notebooks will inevitably incur some degree ofphysical misuse. For IT decision makers, durability isimportant on two fronts: More durable notebooksreduce maintenance costs and extend the lifecycle ofthe machines; and more durable notebooks will havefewer failures, thereby ensuring that employeesequipped with mobile machines remain productive.The gap between PC desktop and notebook costs including initial purchase price and ongoing careand maintenance continues to narrow. Thedemand for mobile computers will continue to per-colate up from consumers who buy notebooks forhome use and then want notebooks for work.According to research conducted by Current AnalysisInc., 2006 retail notebook sales on the day afterThanksgiving traditionally the time with the high-est volume of consumer PC sales jumped 51.6 per-cent over the same period in 2005. (Seehttp://www.currentanalysis.com/r/2006/s/BF-PCgrowth-12-1.htm).Many of these consumers who purchased notebookcomputers for personal use will then request note-books from their companies. Increasingly, many com-panies are convinced that mobile computing enabledby powerful, reliable notebooks results in more pro-ductive and efficient employees. And while improvedproductivity and efficiency can be hard to quantify, themigration to notebooks among consumers and busi-ness alike is gaining momentum. Since notebooks are much more prone than desktopsto getting knocked around regularly, IT decision mak-ers are most concerned with durability. The widescaleavailability of wireless and broadband connections,increased battery life and performance and featuresthat are on par with desktops, all contribute to makenotebooks the preferred choice for equipping a work-force. The key for CIOs, in terms of having a moredurable notebook, is that they have less down time, says Carl Pinto, Toshiba s Vice President of ProductMarketing. And that s critical in an organizationwhere you re expected to produce and perform at thehighest level. The PC Worldtests subjected the Toshiba Tecra note-book to extreme physical misuse, including multipledrops from more than three feet onto a tile linoleumfloor and liquid spilled on the keyboard. While thetests indicated that some cosmetic damage isunavoidable, the notebooks consistently demon-strated that usability and data integrity will remainintact under very harsh usage conditions. For IT decision makers, such durability in notebookshas very tangible benefits. The investment in theinfrastructure and the support costs are reducedbecause the end user does not come in as often toreplace or fix a component or to back up or recoverdata as they would if they did not have a durable typeof notebook, Pinto says.D URABILITY REPORT5Untitled Document6Mobile Computing and the Rise of DurabilityThe trend with potentially the most significant domino effect on the PC industry is the transition tomobile computing. Shipment growth rates of desktop systems are shrinking to the low single digits,while notebook shipments remain at healthy mid-20% levels. Manufacturers have already focusedtheir attention toward these greener pastures, and in so doing are beginning to democratize once-premium features in notebooks. Examples include widescreen displays, improved connectivity, andtiny portable form factors.However, the feature they have most often overlooked is durability. This is perhaps because durabil-ity isn t just a single, obviously noticeable component it s actually a collection of improvements aimedat one goal: protecting the system and the data within it.Durability is similar to other underappreciated yet key differentiating characteristics, such as high-quality, reliable parts and the sense of security associated with biometric features. High-quality partsand the reassuring feeling of being able to count on a reliable system are somewhat elusive in the PCindustry, where multiple suppliers have differing quality-assurance specifications. And biometric fea-tures focus on ensuring the security of the data within the system from theft.However, biometrics are only part of the data-protection equation and do not protect the system andthe data in the same way that physical protective measures do. Durability is a more aggressively proactiveeffort to shield the system against unintentionally harsh usage. Highly durable features aren t new to themarket: rugged systems meant for extreme environments have been available for years. They offer protec-tive features such as shock-mounted hard drives, reinforced frames, water-resistant keyboards, rubberizedbumpers, and magnesium cases. However, these systems always added bulk as well as carrying a pricepremium and were targeted at vertical industries such as field service, utilities, the military, and law enforce-ment. Vendors of mainstream notebooks must address reliability and durability with other design features.The benefits of these features will become increasingly obvious as computer usage continues to go mobile.The Coming CrossoverWith an increasingly mobile PC audience, vendors are likely to take features once specialized forhigher-paying target groups and make them more widely available to mainstream users.Such strategic moves are reactions to the market. Worldwide PC shipments are expected to reachRough-n-Tumble Notebook Market Turning to Durable FeaturesBY RICHARD SHIM, SENIOR RESEARCH ANALYST, IDC PERSONAL COMPUTING PROGRAM Untitled Document10.8 percent (230.2 million units) for 2006. Growth rates are forecasted to increase slightly in 2007to 11.7 percent (257 million units), but they will decline over the years following and hit 8.1 percent(333.7 million units) by 2010. During this forecast period, notebooks will creep ever closer to thedesktop shipment levels, where growth will slow to about 4.4 percent (175 million units). Notebookgrowth is also forecasted to slow, but it will remain in the double digits, reaching 12.7 percent (147.9million units) by 2010. The point at which notebook shipments exceed those of desktops is anticipated to be in the2011 time frame on a worldwide basis. However, in mature markets, such as the United States,the crossover is expected much earlier, as seen in Figure 1. IDC estimates the transition to occurin early 2008. Western Europe is expected to pre-cede the United States in the shift. The crossover years are significant to OEMsbecause they represent potential turning points in themarket. As the volume and greater attention turntoward notebooks, the market is expected to becomemore competitive. What it boils down to is this: asmore businesses and consumers migrate to note-books, their data becomes more vulnerable. Vendorshave an opportunity to better serve customers andpotentially differentiate their products in a positiveway if they handle the situation appropriately.Notebooks Toughen UpCompanies are already more mobile than they ve ever been, thanks to improving wireless con-nectivity options. Wi-Fi standards have helped to boost the number of hotspots available, andmobile broadband technology will only enhance the concept that computing and access are apart of everyday life. This will further increase the likelihood that systems and data will be inbackpacks and briefcases.But this transition also means greater vulnerability of personal content. The frequency withwhich actual damage occurs to a notebook because of rough use can be debated. However, userswho ve experienced data loss because of a fall or a spill tend to be the most vocal. When an emo-tional customer calls a vendor hoping to salvage his or her data, it can hardly bode well for any cus-tomer-support person.Those calls are going to happen, and the best response is to be prepared. Vendors are quicklyseizing the opportunity quite common in the cut-throat PC business. Vendors are used to strikingquickly when opportunity knocks. A prime example of this is notebooks with widescreen displays.Once a key differentiator and premium feature for multimedia-centric systems, wide screens arealmost commonplace now. By 2008, nearly all notebooks will ship with widescreen displays.Durable features are falling into this category, too. A number of major vendors have alreadystarted offering such features in all segments of their notebook business, from consumer to corpo-72003 2004 20052006 2007 20082009 201060,00050,00040,00030,00020,00010,0000DesktopsPortablesSource: IDC, 2006Figure 1U.S. Notebook PC Form Factor ShipmentForecast (2003-2010)Untitled Document8rate products. Several vendors are also offering different enhancements to protect the drive fromcasual drops. Hard drives now park the heads that read the data off platters. This helps to ensurethat the head doesn t scratch the platter and destroy data when the notebook is dropped.Vendors are also encasing drives in gel or other cushioned materials to reduce impacts. Shockzones on the case of the notebook beneath the drives deaden blows, reducing stress on the drive.Notebook enclosures are being reinforced, making them sturdier and less likely to flex when heldfrom one corner. The improved frame gives notebooks a feeling of better reliability and quality.Notebook enclosures strengthened with thicker plastics, domed designs (to better absorbimpact), and crumple-zone-like corners ensure the notebook can withstand and lessen the impactsof bumps and falls. Rubber edges also make the units less likely to slide off table tops when some-one trips on a power adapter cord. Water-resistant keyboards are a plus, but they are less common in the notebook industry. Fullywaterproof keyboards are likely overkill when all a consumer needs to know is that if some coffee orrain falls on the unit, it won t fry the components and kill the notebook. When it comes to new features, it s important to have a target market in mind. Initially, durablefeatures might be considered ideal for high-traffic, rough-and-tumble environments with carelessusers. The reality is, however, that this describes any mobile environment at one time or another.For students juggling work and play, for example, or road warriors constantly on the move, suchfeatures will be welcome. Price has previously inhibited demand, but as more vendors seek a com-petitive edge, durability is a logical step.ConclusionThe PC industry is as competitive as ever. Over the next few years, a significant shift will occuras notebooks overtake desktop shipments, starting in mature markets and cascading intoemerging markets. Vendors are already preparing for this transition, and are hoping to capitalizeon the opportunity by lowering prices and looking for new and innovative ways to differentiatetheir products and better serve customers. As a result, previously high-end capabilities and com-ponents are quickly spilling over into all segments of product portfolios. Greater diversificationof features means better experiences for consumers.The latest feature to become more prevalent in mainstream notebooks is durability. Once tar-geted for expensive, vertically-oriented products, durable features such as thicker cases, thickermotherboards positioned away from the edges of the case, hard drives wrapped in shock-absorbingmaterial, and crumple-zone corners are showing up in more affordable systems. At a time whenmore consumers are storing data on notebooks and going mobile with them, durable features arelikely to appeal to all segments of the notebook market. IDC sees this trend picking up steam, lead-ing ultimately to units that physically last longer and are more reliable over time.All IDC research is 2007 by IDC. All rights reserved. All IDC materials are licensed with IDC s permission and in no waydoes the use or publication of IDC research indicate IDC s endorsement of Intel's or Toshiba's products and/or strategies.Copyright 2006, Intel Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Intel, the Intel logo and Centrino are a trademark or registeredtrademark of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.
