Dell to launch convertible tablet PC this year
The PC maker revealed that it is working on the machine and showed a prototype of it on a company blog.
"I'm here to confirm that we are entering the [tablet PC] market, and we will enter the market later this year," said Jeff Clarke, senior vice president of Dell's business product group, during the minute-long video.
The tablet PC will be targeted at the education, health care, and corporate markets, he said. Clarke didn't offer any technical specifications of the machine but said it will be "one of the lightest-weight" tablet PCs in the market. The version shown in the video was running Windows Vista.
"The technology and customer and usage models have evolved to the point where it makes it right for Dell to enter the marketplace," he said. "We're excited, and everybody, we're coming."
Tablet PCs still only account for a fraction of the portable PC market, but growth in the sector is expected to outperform the overall market over the next few years, according to IDC.
