November 4, 1996 - Fujitsu has today announced that its new mainstream line of Notebook PCs - the Fujitsu Lifebook 500 series - is now available for order in Europe. The series - Fujitsu's first global product - is targeted at the professional mobile computing market and consists of mid-range performance and value notebooks. There are three models available in the Lifebook 500 series - the 520D; the 520T and the 530T - which are available in six configurations. Product will be available in volume from the beginning of December.

Although new in Europe, Fujitsu has been concentrating research, development and production resource on mobile computers for more than a decade, releasing its first portable computing device in 1984. In 1995, the company was ranked second in Mobile PC sales in Japan, holding 12% of the market, outselling Apple, Toshiba and Compaq. According to IDC, Fujitsu's mobile PC sales have taken them to sixth position worldwide, with a growth of 253% in the second quarter of 1996, compared to the same quarter in 1995.

The Lifebook 500 series is designed as a desktop replacement for location-independent workers, offering both port replicator and mini-docking options. At the core of the Lifebook range are Intel 133MHz and 120MHz Pentium (R) processors with up to 48MB EDO RAM main memory and up to 1.3GB of hard disk space, pre-installed with Microsoft Windows 95.

The Lifebook launch is spearheading Fujitsu's aggressive drive to be amongst the top five notebook PC vendors by the year 2000.

Jyrki Miettinen, director of notebook product marketing at Fujitsu ICL Computers Ltd, commented: "Fujitsu's new Lifebook series integrates the best of the company's mobile computing and communication expertise and is the product of Fujitsu's global operations. With a full infrastructure for PC and computer component design, manufacture and marketing in Japan, the United States and Europe, Fujitsu has become one of the world's leading producers of notebook computers."

Jyrki Miettinen continued: "Fujitsu researches, develops and manufactures many of the key components used in the Lifebook PC series and a large share of the technologies used in the initial development of the product, came from the worldwide Fujitsu Group."

In Europe, the Fujitsu notebook PC operation is run under the newly established Fujitsu ICL Computers Ltd., which forms an integral part of Fujitsu's worldwide PC operation. The Lifebook series is being manufactured in Japan and final configuration and distribution for the European market is being handled at Fujitsu ICL Computers' PC factory in Finland.

Fujitsu ICL Computers Ltd. is part of Fujitsu's Personal Systems Business Group and is responsible for the development, manufacture and sales of a wide range of Personal Computer and Server systems for the Corporate, Business and Home markets across Europe. It has manufacturing and development facilities in Finland, Germany, Sweden and the UK.

In 1995, when part of ICL, the organisation sold approximately 13,500 servers and 500,000 personal computers. Fujitsu had sales of over 1 million personal computers in Japan. The global PC sales of the Fujitsu Group are likely to exceed 2.5 million units in 1996, putting it well on track to achieving its ambition of becoming one of the world's top five PC and server suppliers.

For further information:
Site address: http//www.fujitsu-computers.com