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2020: Toshiba sold all PC assets and left the notebook market
On August 7, 2020 Toshiba announced sale of the 19.9 percent share remaining at it in computer business. The assets were acquired by the Japanese company Sharp , becoming the owner of 100% of the Dynabook division (formerly Toshiba Client Solutions).
As a result of this transaction, Toshiba finally left the notebook market. How much Sharp paid the company for the remaining stake in Dynabook is not specified. Based on the fact that 80.1% were bought for 4 billion yen, then 19.9% could cost about 1 billion yen, or about $9.4 million at the exchange rate on August 7, 2020. The deal between the parties is closed.
That Toshiba can leave PC business became known after in July, 2020 the chairman of the board of directors and the CEO of Sharp Tai Jen-woo (Tai Jeng-wu) announced plans to bring the computer division to the stock exchange. The IPO could take place earlier than expected, but everything will depend on the speed of the economic recovery from the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic , he said.
Toshiba exits the laptop market
| We hope that the listing will take place by the end of this [2020] year, said Tai Jen-woo at a press conference to announce new Sharp products. |
Previously, the IPO was scheduled for 2021. On which exchange it is planned to sell shares, it is not specified yet.
Tai Jen-woo said that Toshiba's computer business was unprofitable from the start, but Sharp hopes to turn it into a profitable one for the foreseeable future.
The reasons for Toshiba's departure from the computer market, where the company offered a line of Satellite laptops, are not officially named. According to the NDTV edition, most likely, the fierce competition imposed by the leading manufacturers Lenovo , HP Inc. and Dell . It was hard for Toshiba to compete with the leaders, including in terms of price, even despite the production of equipment at its own enterprise.
2019
Entry into the server market
At the beginning of September, 2019 it became known of Dynabook's entry into the server market. The company, which was created from Toshiba's former computer business , is looking to explore new sources of revenue after restructuring and rebranding.
The fact that Dynabook will sell servers , Nick Offin, head of the company's representative office in Northern Europe , told Channel Partner Insight. According to him, servers, as well as desktops, are planned to be offered exclusively outside of Japan . This market was the main market for Toshiba when it was engaged in the production of PCs.
It became known about an output of Toshiba on the market of servers
| We look narrowly also to other categories of products to understand that we can create and bring to the market, and to be the high-grade diversified IT company — he reported. |
At the same time, the top manager emphasized that not all ideas will necessarily be implemented, but the company will strive for this, since this way it can differ from the old Toshiba brand.
| I think there are many places for a great new brand or product. We are starting to master new technological trends faster. We are trying to do something different from the Internet of things and thin clients to stand out, he added. |
Nick Offin did not give a time frame for when Dynabook would start selling servers. This is expected to happen before the end of 2019.
Meanwhile, Offin spoke about the company's plans to grow its sales force by 30% by the end of 2019.
In addition to new markets, Dynabook will develop in its main - computer. Particular attention is planned to be paid to the educational sector.
| School education is a market, prices are at the forefront. One of our plans is to return to where the old Toshiba brand had a good customer base,” said Offin. [2] |
Renaming to Dynabook
At the beginning of April, 2019 it became known of departure of the Toshiba brand from the market of personal computers. It was replaced by the Dynabook brand, which was previously used by the Japanese corporation mainly in the home market.
The rebranding came 10 months after the sale of Toshiba's computer business to Sharp . This is a division of Toshiba Client Solutions, which has now been renamed Dynabook. The changes affected all markets including the US , Europe, Australia and Singapore .
At the beginning of April, 2019 the Toshiba brand in the market of notebooks was replaced by the Dynabook brand
In addition to notebooks for corporate users, Dynabook will continue to launch a range of other Toshiba electronic devices, including IoT solutions and smart glasses.
Dynabook plans to introduce 11 models of portable computers, as well as an augmented reality headset , which was developed together with Vuzix. The equipment will cost $600 to $2000, it will receive Intel Core U series processors (seventh and eighth generation), solid state drives, etc.
Takayuki Tono, senior vice president of Dynabook North America , stressed that even if Toshiba changed its name, it would still be the company that launched the world's first laptop in 1985.
| The Dynabook brand embodies our rich heritage of 30 years of innovation in mobile computing, as well as our new investments and business outreach. Our brand is more than just a name or logo, it is the embodiment of our culture and our values,” said Dynabook European President Damian Jaume. |
At its peak, Toshiba was selling about 17 million computers a year. In 2018, less than 2 million devices were sold. For comparison, market leader Lenovo shipped 16.6 million desktops and laptops in the last three months of 2018 alone.
2018: Sharp purchased Toshiba Client Solutions for 4 billion yens
In early June 2018, Japanese consumer electronics and display maker Sharp announced it was buying Toshiba's computer business , thus returning to a market it had left eight years earlier.
Sharp has agreed to acquire an 80.1 percent stake in Toshiba's Client Solutions division, which develops and sells laptops, for 4 billion yen (about $36.47 million at the exchange rate as of June 5, 2018). The deal is scheduled to close by October 1st.
Sharp buys Toshiba's computer business
The deal highlights Sharp's recovery under the control of Foxconn , which bought the Japanese company in 2016, according to Reuters news agency. The partnership with Foxconn is expected to help Sharp produce laptops at lower prices than competitors, boosting demand and generating profits.
The agreement between Sharp and Toshiba is unusual, as Japanese companies, by contrast, are leaving the PC, smartphone and consumer electronics markets, including TVs, under pressure from South Korean and Chinese competitors.
Toshiba sells laptops and tablets to corporate and consumer customers under the Dynabook brand. In the three fiscal years by the end of March 2018, the company's computer business accumulated an operating loss of 97 billion yen, and sales decreased by 75% due to the fact that Toshiba stopped selling PCs abroad and outsourced the production of these products . Bloomberg.
Toshiba continues to sell assets after losses incurred as a result of an accounting scandal and write-offs in the nuclear business. For example, a Japanese conglomerate sold its television, household appliances, and semiconductor businesses. According to Toshiba, the corporation is now focusing on sectors such as energy and social infrastructure.
