Panasonic abandons VGA port from "Let's Note" laptops, signaling end of era in Japan

[Alfonso Maruccia]

In context: Japanese companies have long been known for clinging to outdated technologies such as floppy disk drives and fax machines, but that is now changing faster than ever. Even the venerable VGA standard – originally developed by IBM for its PS/2 computers – is on its way out, soon to disappear from modern laptops sold in the country.

Panasonic recently introduced a new model in its "Let's Note" line of laptops. For the first time, the Japanese company has removed the legacy video port from its integrated laptop features. According to a Nikkei report, this move could mark the beginning of the end for "VGA-enabled" computers sold in Japan.

The original Video Graphics Array controller and its 15-pin connector were introduced by IBM in 1987 as part of the IBM Personal System/2 (PS/2) hardware line. The VGA standard quickly became the lowest common denominator for all subsequent PC graphics hardware and eventually formed the foundation for the Super VGA standards later introduced by third-party manufacturers.

As highlighted in the Nikkei report, analog display technologies like VGA have now been largely replaced by fully digital solutions such as HDMI. A standard HDMI connection can transmit both video and audio signals and has essentially taken over the role that VGA once played – especially when paired with DisplayPort in modern PCs – as the de facto standard for video connectivity.

Panasonic's decision to abandon VGA support may also stem from a deliberate design choice. The company positions its Let's Note laptops as productivity-focused tools that offer a balance of portability, performance, and up to 10 hours of battery life. While the systems include multiple ports for connecting external devices and peripherals, they are also engineered to be ultra-lightweight.

Panasonic appears intent on shaving off every possible gram from the new models, and the VGA port is notoriously bulky compared to modern, all-digital alternatives like HDMI. The new Let's Note CF-SC6 model also includes Thunderbolt 4 and USB-C ports, which are more than capable of driving external monitors or projectors.

With Panasonic finally retiring the VGA port, other Japanese OEMs may soon follow suit. The Tokyo-based company was one of the last PC makers to continue offering integrated VGA connectivity, while competitors such as Fujitsu, NEC, and others have already transitioned to all-digital solutions in recent years.

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Panasonic abandons VGA port from "Let's Note" laptops, signaling end of era in Japan

 

[Squid Surprise]

We have SO many devices in our school that still require vga… wish the government would spend a bit more on education as it’s shameful to be teaching students on PCs using them…

 

[magoid]

It is easy to see something like this and think how they are so behind, but the truth is Panasonic is just being realistic. If there is demand for it, they deliver.

In the real world of companies that are not posers, equipment is used until they wont work anymore. That also means projectors. If you are a salesperson or self employed, you will come to places where the only available connector is a VGA one. Unless you like dongles, a built-in VGA port is a godsend when you need it.

 

[NumberNine]

Sometimes you just gotta let that dongle dangle.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

It's about time. VGA should have been phased out 25 years ago when DVI came into existence. It has no place in modern computing.

We have SO many devices in our school that still require vga… wish the government would spend a bit more on education as it’s shameful to be teaching students on PCs using them…

It's always the same argument isn't it? "I need MOAR taxpayer money to function please!" Somehow, despite over half of my property taxes going into the school system, and the new levies they keep passing, and the value of my house going up up up along with the taxes I pay, they STILL cant make ends meet, all while churning out hundreds of thousands of kids that cant read, write, or do math.

It is easy to see something like this and think how they are so behind, but the truth is Panasonic is just being realistic. If there is demand for it, they deliver.

In the real world of companies that are not posers, equipment is used until they wont work anymore. That also means projectors. If you are a salesperson or self employed, you will come to places where the only available connector is a VGA one. Unless you like dongles, a built-in VGA port is a godsend when you need it.

VGA is obsolete, projectors have had HDMI on them for 20 years now. It's time to move on.

 

[Squid Surprise]

It's always the same argument isn't it? "I need MOAR taxpayer money to function please!" Somehow, despite over half of my property taxes going into the school system, and the new levies they keep passing, and the value of my house going up up up along with the taxes I pay, they STILL cant make ends meet, all while churning out hundreds of thousands of kids that cant read, write, or do math.

Governments waste taxpayer money in every area - that’s kind of their job…
not sure which country you’re from but in Ontario, Canada, we have a premier who doesn’t think education is a priority…

 

[amghwk]

It's time to get the penultimate japanese laptops, then. Before the VGA was removed, with relatively faster CPUs.

On another note, I got my Roland MT-32 and Roland CM-500 directly from Japan, which were reasonable compared to the rip-off prices in Ebay. But that was long long ago.

 

[nismo91]

It's time to accept that we're getting old. I joined this site when I was 15 and now I'm 34. I have a drawer full of old dongles, RJ11 microfilters for ADSL, DVI to VGA adapter, DVI to HDMI, S-Video to Composite, molex to 8pin power connector and many more that are all irrelevant today. of course I still have my HDMI to VGA dongle for my work laptop because there's no telling if I need such dongle for projecting in customer's office, but I've not used the dongle in years. same goes for dvd drive, I've not used my external dvd drive possibly in more than 5 years now. I don't know if it's still working, because I have no more disc to try.

on a side note, there's a lot of older LCD monitor that only accept VGA connection. they are perfectly usable even though they're only 60hz monitor. problem is, most of them are 15 years old today and nearly all of them will have the polarizer damaged due to time.