Dell to enter low-cost laptop market
Dell Inc. is set to join the growing number of personal computer makers offering low-cost laptops for consumers in the developing world.
CEO and founder Michael Dell showed the small notebook to editor Brian Lam of the technology website Gizmodo at the All Things Digital Conference in Carlsbad, Calif., on Wednesday.
While the company did not reveal any pricing or specifications for the laptop, the company's official blog said Dell has positioned the device "as the perfect device for the next billion internet users."
The market for low-cost laptops, virtually non-existent a few years ago, has become an area of competitive interest since the One Laptop Per Child project first began work on the XO laptop.
While the XO began mass production last year, Asustek's Eee PC laptop, which retails for between $299 to $499, has been one of the early winners in the low-cost market, selling over a million units since it launched last fall.
PC market leader Hewlett-Packard, Acer and Packard Bell have either launched low-cost laptops or announced plans to do so.
Chip makers Intel and Via have both unveiled low-cost, low-power processors for the devices.
Intel is expected to unveil its new Atom processor at a conference in Taiwan next week, with several Taiwanese computer manufacturers expected to announce new smaller computers designed to work with the chip.
The success of the devices, which are geared not only to the developing world but also to budget-conscious general consumers, has attracted the interest of major software players.
Earlier in May, Microsoft Corp. announced it would make Windows XP available to the OLPC's XO laptop.
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