A Culture of Continuous Innovation from the TOUGHBOOK CF-31 to the TOUGHBOOK 40

In a busy first half of 2024, the TOUGHBOOK G2, 33, and 40 rugged mobile devices have all received major updates. It’s a good time therefore to pause and revisit Panasonic’s DNA of continuous improvement that improves functionality for the end user.

written by: Dirk Weigelt, Senior Product & Solutions Manager, Panasonic TOUGHBOOK

I’m not usually one for looking backwards. However, with the recent launch of our brand-new TOUGHBOOK 40mk2, I had to ask myself; “How old is the Panasonic TOUGHBOOK CF-31?” I was shocked to realise it was 10 years since we launched the last iteration of the CF-31 – a stark reminder of how far we have come with our latest offerings as we approach the mid-2020s.

Ahead of our time in pushing boundaries

In the near-30 years that Panasonic has been delivering market-leading rugged devices, we have remained steadfastly committed to continuous innovation and developing new solutions at breakneck speed.

That’s reflected in just how quickly customer expectations towards using the latest technology in rugged devices moves forward – and how our own product lifecycles have responded to this. For example, we produced five iterations of the TOUGHBOOK CF-31 between 2010 and 2014 as advancements in connectivity, processing, and battery power, not to mention increasingly versatile materials, enabled us to develop lighter and tougher solutions for the most unforgiving of environments.

We’re now seeing this with the TOUGHBOOK 40 rugged notebook. With the first TOUGHBOOK 40 launching in 2022, the AI-enabled 40mk2 – the first TOUGHBOOK to feature Edge AI capabilities – has arrived just two years later.

^{Right image: TOUGHBOOK CF-31}

Best-of-breed technologies

At Panasonic TOUGHBOOK, we’ve always prided ourselves on providing best-of-breed devices featuring the latest technology, to meet current and future challenges for the hyper mobile workforce.

When the last iteration of the TOUGHBOOK CF-31, equipped with the Intel® Core™ i5-5300U vPro Processor, was launched in 2014, our customers’ priorities were extending product lifecycles to maximise return on investment; battery life; connectivity in the field, and ruggedness. Sound familiar? These were addressed with 18 hours of battery life; 4G connectivity; a 13.1-inch screen; the market leading Windows 8 operating system; and a IP65 rating for water ingress.

This still represents a competitive offering today, providing a blueprint for the TOUGHBOOK 40’s form factor and functionality for end users in utilities; field services; defence; and emergency services.

Now, the TOUGHBOOK 40mk2 on Windows 11 Pro features 5G connectivity; market-leading modularity; the Intel® AI Boost neural processing unit (NPU); military-grade rugged testing to MIL-SPEC 810H standards; a IP66 rating for water ingress; and a 14-inch screen – albeit 400g lighter than the CF-31’s screen. This is another great example of how we’re continuing to innovate at every step.

^{Left image: TOUGHBOOK 40mk2}

So much more than just rugged devices

Panasonic TOUGHBOOK has a history of never conforming to the standard way of doing things. We recognise that commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) devices can only do so much when serving end-users, because all businesses in all sectors have differing technological, deployment, and support requirements.

This is why Panasonic’s ProServices offering is so powerful. Regardless of the required solution, ProServices combines the durability of rugged, secure TOUGHBOOK devices with world-class design, manufacturing, testing, and support to craft the ultimate tool for an organisation’s operations.

It’s evidence of how Panasonic recognises that organisations need so much more than hardware. They require a true mobility partner that can guide them through the design, testing, implementation and deployment of the solution – not to mention ongoing maintenance and servicing support – allowing them to focus on their core business proposition.

There’s something about Panasonic…

Although the TOUGHBOOK CF-31 reached end of life in 2018, extending product lifecycles of anywhere between 5-7 years means that many end users will shortly be looking at newer TOUGHBOOK devices – with some enquiring whether the CF-31 is still available.

Notwithstanding the latest models now available, I think this is due to the strong connection felt between Panasonic TOUGHBOOK devices and our customers and partners – both ergonomically and emotionally. Speaking from personal experience, there is a community feel of being part of the Panasonic family. This loyalty extends to those end users that have long depended on us to fulfil consequential mission-critical operations on a daily basis. They know they can rely on our support whenever it’s needed, no questions asked.

Similar to our commitment to producing best-of-breed rugged mobile devices, our customers’ priorities haven’t changed. Ultimately, they still need a versatile, reliable companion that can seamlessly operate in the toughest of environments where device failures are simply not an option.

This is why we continue to push the boundaries of innovation; from the CF-31 to the 40mk2, good enough just isn’t good enough for Panasonic TOUGHBOOK.

For more information on the latest TOUGHBOOK 40, click here

A Culture of Continuous Innovation from the TOUGHBOOK CF-31 to the TOUGHBOOK 40

Ahead of our time in pushing boundaries

Best-of-breed technologies

So much more than just rugged devices

There’s something about Panasonic…

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