[6] The machine's case was similar to the Acorn Online Media set-top box design incorporating the same SoC, and the product was considered to have been "created specifically to satisfy the education market".
[7] The A7000+ was launched in 1997 and featured a 48 MHz ARM7500FE SoC, thus being "the first time an ARM-based Acorn has shipped with hardware floating point as standard".
This apparently brought the machine's general performance into line with a 40 MHz Risc PC700 with 1 MB of video RAM, permitting various display resolutions and colour depths that were not possible on the earlier model.
[21] Despite apparent demand for the product, changes in Acorn's strategy led to difficulties in component procurement and the eventual demise of the endeavour.
[23] A subsequent laptop or portable initiative involved a product design from RiscStation, a producer of ARM7500FE-based RISC OS machines, based on hardware by Simtec Electronics.
The use of a Windows laptop running the Virtual Acorn emulation software had caused confusion and doubt as to the authenticity of the demonstrated hardware.
[24] Despite signs of progress, in 2003, RiscStation abandoned its plans to deliver this product, instead choosing to sell "off the shelf" Windows laptops running Virtual Acorn.