Panasonic's 4K Tablet Could Kill All-in-One PCs
Panasonic has a 20-inch tablet prototype with a 4K resolution.
If there are only three known truths in the universe, it's that (1) we must die, (2) we must pay taxes and (3) the PC platform will never die. But Panasonic is seemingly trying to prove the third truth wrong at CES 2013 in Las Vegas with a very interesting prototype: a 20-inch 4K tablet. If anything, it may kill off the AIOs, at least.
According to a provided spec list, the tablet has a 20-inch IPS Alpha 10-point multi-touch screen with a 3840 x 2560 (230ppi) resolution and a 15:10 aspect ratio. It also has an Intel Core i5 3427U vPro CPU clocked at 1.8 GHz, Nvidia GeForce graphics, 4 GB of RAM (16 GB max), and a 128 GB SSD. Other features include 802.11 a/b/g/n and Bluetooth v4 connectivity, one USB 2.0 port, a microSD card, a front-facing HD camera, and more.
A Panasonic rep said that the prototype tablet will be geared for three applications: marketing, designers and architects, and photographers. When asked about the consumer market, the rep said that will be a wait-and-see based on demand. A 20-inch 4K tablet may cost a pretty penny to be honest, so it's possible it will stay in the professional sector until the price takes a significant drop.
Some other notable items in Samsung's CES 2013 plot includes a nifty Bluetooth touch pen that allows the user to write and draw on Bluetooth-enabled Smart Viera HDTVs (shown below). The company also showcased its "Future Craft" philosophy for designing which includes a metal and glass form factor. One prototype shown was super thin, had invisible side speakers, 3 HDMI ports, 3 USB ports and more.
Here's what Panasonic has announced for the show (all of which are linked here):
* Panasonic Develops 56-inch 4k2k OLED Panel
* Panasonic Develops New Tablet with 20-inch 4k IPS Alpha LCD Panel
* Panasonic VIERA TC-L50E60 Named as 2013 Design and Engineering Awards BEST OF INNOVATIONS Honoree
* Panasonic Unveils Enhanced 2013 Smart VIERA Plasma HDTV Lineup
* Panasonic Unveils Stunning Design Innovations and Cutting-Edge Features on VIERA 2013 LED/LCD Models
* Panasonic Announces Wireless Bone Conduction Headphones to the 2013 Product Lineup
* Panasonic Offers Flexible Listening Options for Tablet Users with the New SC-NP10 Wireless Speaker
* Panasonic Announces the LUMIX DMC-LZ30
* Panasonic Unveils 2013 LUMIX Compact Lineup at CES
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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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hannibal You have big pockets for a phone this big ;-)Reply
It is interesting to see that tablets leaves tabletop PC to the dust in screen resolution... O tempora, o mores...
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ccovemaker "It also has an Intel Core i5 3427U vPro CPU clocked at 1.8 GHz" Try harder please. It won't be "killing the PC platform" with that choked up I5.Reply
CES is supposed to be the future not computing power from 5 years ago.
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Killingmaster TheViperThat thing isn't killing anything off but battery life.Reply
Hmm indeed: Battery Life: Approx. 2 hours (using internal battery) -
bigdragon I want to see Panasonic try to take on Wacom's Cintiq lineup with this tablet and future successors. Competition in that arena is badly needed to break up Wacom's monopoly of high-end artist tools. This product could do just that for Panasonic if they have the vision and drive to give it a try. I know lots of professionals who would love this thing and eagerly jump on the chance to get away from being chained to their desks for a good high-end art experience.Reply -
zzz_b Why do you say " Some other notable items in Samsung's CES ..." when the article is about Panasonic? :OReply -
MKBL "Some other notable items in Samsung's CES 2013 plot includes a nifty Bluetooth touch pen that allows the user to write and draw on Bluetooth-enabled Smart Viera HDTVs (shown below)."Reply
Typo