The Birth of Olympus Imaging, the New Design Organization and New Products 'i:robe' and 'm:robe'

摘要

On October 13, 2004, a ceremony was held to announce new Olympus products at Roppongi Hills, a new landmark of Tokyo. On October 1, the Olympus Corporation was divided up, and the Imaging Systems Company and Medical Systems Company, until then in-house firms, became the Olympus Imaging Corporation and the Olympus Medical Systems Corporation, respectively. The ceremony on the 13th was by Olympus Imaging, and two series of products were announced: the "i: robe" digital camera based on a new concept with its peripherals (hard disc storage and printer), and the "m: robe" consisting of a music player with hard disc drive and a digital camera function. The i: robe features a "dock & done" function by which the camera is simply placed on a special cradle after the pictures have been taken to store and print the photos, without using any wires or passing through a computer. The m: robe consists of the "MR-500i", a new type of machine allowing users to enjoy music and images simultaneously, and the "MR-100" music player. This is the first time for the Olympus brand to venture into this area.