At an event in Hollywood last night Panasonic unveiled the final form of its 20-inch 4K tablet, the Panasonic Toughpad 4K UT-MB5.
We first saw this gargantuan tablet back in January at CES 2013, where we noted that it's an impressive device that's unwieldy for normal everyday use.
That's fine with Panasonic, which with its Toughpad line intends to focus entirely on enterprise business customers.
That explains the Toughpad 4K in a nutshell, including the $5,999 price tag it will carry when it arrives in the US in January 2014.
Toughpad 4K specs
The Windows 8.1 Pro-running Toughpad 4K UT-MB5 packs an Intel Core i5 processor, a 20-inch 3840 x 2560 IPS Alpha LCD display with 230 ppi and 10-point multi-touch, a 256GB SSD, 8GB of RAM and 2GB of VRAM.
It also features Nvidia GeForce 745M graphics, USB 3.0, an SDXC card slot, a smart card reader, and a 1280 x 720 front camera.
The 5.27-pound tablet is only .49 inches thick, with a magnesium alloy frame enclosed in a reinforced glass fiber case. It's designed to withstand a 30-inch drop on its back while operating and 12-inch drops at 26 different angles when it's turned off.
The only drawback, besides the $6,000 price tag, is a paltry two hours of battery life.
But that should be enough time for executives to give a presentation or salespeople to show off their wares, functions that the Toughpad 4K UT-MB5 excels at.
There's also an extremely precise optional Bluetooth Panasonic Electronic Touch Pen. No word yet on pricing for that, though.
The future of Toughpads
The Toughpad 4K's specs have grown slightly more impressive since we saw it in January, and its aesthetics and textures are more refined. The back and bezels are more attractive now, with an eye-catching new lined pattern.
"The device is designed for professionals in fields where visual clarity and collaboration are essential to productivity," read a press release sent out last night.
Panasonic last night called it "business-rugged."
At its launch event the company showed off a number of the giant 4K tablet's functions in fields including photography, design, high-end retail, architecture and production.
"We understand enterprise. We are not a consumer company; we're a B2B company," Panasonic Systems Communication President Rance Poehler said at the event.
"So with this device comes Panasonic's service, support and quality for an enterprise company. That's a big difference, I think, in our focus versus some of our competition."
He even dropped a hint about future Toughpad tablets: "We have many new Toughpads. We have our 20-inch flagship we're showing tonight; we have our 10-inch; we have our 7-inch; and I will tell you we're working on other form factors. We intend to lead tablet business for enterprise."
