LifeBook P7120: Developers' Stories (Vol. 4)

Vol. 1 It is designed to be slimmer and lighter, with longer operating hours!

Vol. 2 Challenge: Compact Shape and Fan-less Structure

Vol. 3 Challenge: Compact Shape and Fan-less Structure

Vol. 4 Different Design That Can Be Felt Both By Seeing and Touching

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Yoshiharu Masuyama, Personal Solution Design Department, Total Design Centre

Q.1) I heard that the design of LifeBook P7120 has totally been changed during development to meet the concept of "Customers seek better usability".

Yes. This was the first time I designed a notebook PC, and I thought this was usual. But I heard later that the design is usually not changed this drastically! This is one of the initial designs, which is very different from the final design. In 6 months from the initial to the final stage, I made a mock-up almost every month. For rough designs, I made countless amounts of them.

Q.2) When you designed LifeBook P7120, what type of design did you have in your mind?

I was engaged in designing mobile phones before designing notebook PCs. Before that, I was designing jewellery and accessories, (of course not at Fujitsu!). From my background, I focused on the features that will make users look cool when they are using LifeBook P7120. I did this because I thought LifeBook P7120 had an ultra-modern image compared to all other notebook PCs, and was more similar to mobile phones and fashion pieces. In a nutshell, I wanted to create a cool and stylish design rather than a typical notebook PC.

For the style, I couldn't make a great change because this was a notebook PC. So, I designed the P7120 with distinctive lines and detailed nuance. I also made the edge of the notebook PC rounded rather than squared.

Q.3) The feel of this Leather White is something I have never experienced before.

For Leather White, I wanted to create a touch that will make everyone say "something is different". A soft feel like leather is achieved by making a fine pitted/dimpled textured surface. In fact, the human hand can feel softness with such a textured surface, even if the material is hard. Please touch this and feel the softness. For the white colour, I think no other notebook PC has a pure, matte white colour like this. Besides our regular customers, I hope active people who eagerly use notebook PCs outdoor will use the LifeBook P7120.

The other colour, Mars Red, expresses a cosmetic, high-class mood.

Q.4) Both colours give a very fashionable and smart impression. I really feel like carrying them around.

They are made as simple as possible by getting rid of unnecessary factors in general. The number of buttons was also reduced to the minimum and light was also made to look more simple. As expressed in the expression "less is more", the slim shape and excellent feel are articulated by making everything minimal.

Q.5) At last, I would like to ask you which colour you like better personally, Leather White or Mars Red?

I choose Leather White. But I also like Mars Red as it is totally a new colour that no notebook PC ever had before. Actual shape has been changed a lot, but its proportion still carries the designal image and thus I have a strong feeling for it as a designer.

There were a lot more memories and experiences during the development process of LifeBook P7120, which has been born from labours of many developers with a true passion for their work. I hope you can go to the shop and touch our new product filled with all those episodes. We will be very happy if you can feel the deep devotion of each of the developers.