14 DAY TRIAL // Panasonic’s 4K tablet has a long history. The world’s first 4K tablet was first showcased at CES two years ago and we have been waiting for the Japanese tech giant to start shipping the machine ever since.
Back in January, we told you the PC-maker was apparently forced to delay the official release until mid-February 2014, but we’re in March already and the tablet is nowhere in sight. So what’s going on here?
Hopefully, Panasonic is not considering dropping the whole project altogether. We get encouraging news from the guys over at Neowin, who have been doing a little bit of research on the matter, trying to determine when the 4K slate will start shipping.
According to the information they uncovered, the Panasonic tablet could be arriving to select retailers, as early as next week. Company representatives said the tablet had started to sell ever since February, as originally announced, but a comprehensive search on the web showed no trace of that being the case.
On one of Panasonic’s Thoughpad and Thoughbook re-sellers website, we find the Touchpad 4K UT-MB5 being listed, showing the online retailer will start picking up orders on Monday, March 10. Actual shipping dates are estimated between March 10 and April 3.
Panasonic’s suggested priced for the 4K tablet is a pretty impressive $5,999 / €4,320, but those picking it up from Mobile Rugged Computing will be able to purchase it with a discount for $5,215 / €3,756.
The model that starts shipping next week is the Toughpad 4K UT-MB5. This particular version bundles a 20-inch screen (3840 x 2560 pixel resolution) and an Intel Core i5 processor clocked at 1.9GHz combined with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD storage. The tablet is also fitted with an NVIDIA GeForce GT 745 graphics chip with 2GB of VRAM and 729p webcam.
If that’s not powerful enough for you, Panasonic has another model incoming for you, in the form of the Performance version. What’s different from the base model, detailed above, is that the slate will draw power from an Intel i7 Core processor, instead of an i5, and will be equipped with a workstation-based NVIDIA Quadro K1000 graphics processor.
The Performance will have more to offer in terms of ports too, boasting a full Ethernet port and a Mini DisplayPort. Battery life will also be a little better than the base model, offering 2.5 hours as opposed to only 2 hours.
And as expected, the Performance model will sell for more, taking customers back with $6,999 / €5,041 when it starts shipping out later this spring.