What’s Next for Mobile Workers?
This time next year, mobile workers will account for more than one-third of the world’s total workforce. According to a forecast from industry analysts at International Data Corporation (IDC), the mobile worker population will reach 1.3 billion by 2015, or 37.2 percent of the global workforce.
The dramatic growth of this global mobile worker population is being driven, in part, by the expanding availability of purpose-built technology to meet their needs. Mobile devices now offer processing power, connectivity, functionality and performance capabilities comparable to that of a desktop computer, while at the same time becoming increasingly lightweight and ultra-portable. This evolution has helped many new types of workers get out from behind their desks, while improving productivity for field-based workers of all kinds.
Since the early 1990s, Panasonic has collaborated with Microsoft to bring mobile computers to market for workers around the world. Our design and engineering teams work together closely to ensure that our devices meet customer needs and take advantage of cutting-edge innovations, while providing the performance and reliability our customers expect. Although we’ve always had a collaborative relationship, as tablets have created new opportunities to improve enterprise mobility and transform the user experience, our relationship has become closer and continues to evolve.
In this video from International CES 2014, Panasonic IT Products Business Unit Director Hide Harada and Microsoft OEM Division Corporate Vice President Nick Parker discuss this partnership and our new Toughpad tablets:
The results of this partnership were evident at International CES earlier this month, where we unveiled two new tools to transform the way you get the job done.
- The Toughpad FZ-M1 is the thinnest and lightest rugged 7-inch fanless tablet with a 4th generation Intel Core i5 processor available today – enabling enterprise-class productivity on the go with Windows 8.1 Pro and numerous configuration options.
- The Toughpad 4K UT-MA6 tablet is the high performance model of our groundbreaking 20-inch, Ultra HD tablet unveiled last year. With an Intel Core i7 processor, NVIDIA Quadro GPU and Windows 8.1 Pro, it’s built to serve as a mobile workstation for professionals in fields such as computer-aided design (CAD) and video editing.
What’s next from us? Earlier this month at the NRF 2014 EXPO, we also announced that we’re working closely with Microsoft to deliver enterprise-class mobile devices based on the Windows Embedded 8 Handheld platform. This latest collaboration will enable us to expand our rugged mobile computing portfolio with innovative new handheld devices bringing Windows Phone 8 technologies to enterprise customers via reliable hardware. Stay tuned for some forthcoming announcements on new handheld devices running the Windows Embedded 8 Handheld platform for workers in a diverse range of fields.
