【Hitachi】FLORA300 series

In March 1997, Hitachi announced the FLORA 300 series of slim desktops that were space saving, easy to read, and easy to use.

The series consisted of eight models in two configurations, led by the FLORA 310, a model with an integrated 13.3-inch LCD monitor that made it the narrowest in its class, at just 19 centimeters, which was about one-third the depth of desktops with conventional CRT monitors.

(1) FLORA 310 built-in display model

• Depth of only 19 centimeters.
• Integrated system with a large, bright 13.3-inch super TFT LCD monitor with a wide viewing angle. Included a tilt mechanism to adjust the monitor for optimal viewing. Three models of LCD monitors were offered: the 13.3-inch super TFT, a 12.1-inch hi-addressing STN, and a 12.1-inch TFT.
• Equipped with a high-performance 200 MHz MMX Pentium processor, high-speed EDO DRAM, a 2.5 GB or 3.2 GB hard drive, a 10x CD-ROM drive, and a 10BASE-T LAN interface.

(2) FLORA 330 micro-tower model

• Slim desktop in a micro-tower configuration: 78 x 320 x 300 mm (w x d x h). When paired with an LCD monitor, its footprint was about half of that of desktops with conventional CRT monitors. (Comparison by Hitachi).
• Equipped with a high-performance 200 MHz MMX Pentium processor, high-speed EDO DRAM with highly reliable ECC, a 2.5 GB or 3.2 GB hard drive, a 10x CD-ROM drive, and a 10BASE-T LAN interface.
• Could be paired with either a SelecTop bright 13.3-inch super TFT LCD monitor with a wide viewing angle or a 15-inch or 17-inch CRT monitor.

Preceding the onset of the true one-person, one-computer era, the FLORA 300 series was widely praised as a pioneering business computer because of its standard LAN interface and its small footprint suitable for office installations.