NotebookReview had a chance to talk with Todd Smith, Director of Product Marketing for Toshiba of Canada, about the future (and past) of Toshiba’s laptop plans.
Todd commented on the Toshiba Portege series (in relation to the attention they get versus the Apple MacBook Air), and the Toshiba Libretto U100. The U100 is interesting, in that it was a very small notebook (7.2″ display) and was a year or two ahead of its time in some ways (look at the Asus Eee PC to see what I’m talking about).
How do you feel when something like the MacBook Air gets immense media attention, even though there have been similar Toshiba Portege models on the market for years? Is not getting the word out and generating interest a failure of marketing?
A: Marketing is an area in which we are working to build upon in order to gain the recognition deserved for our significant innovations, like the Portege.
The Libretto U100 was available in major retailers up until recently. Was this product a success for Toshiba in North America?
A: Yes the Libretto U100 was a success for Toshiba in North America, but sadly from a global perspective the demand wasn’t sufficient enough to continue the product.