Dell launched a new ultrathin laptop in China on Friday called the
Dell launched a new ultrathin laptop in China on Friday called the XPS 14z, which is slated to arrive in other markets later this year to take advantage of the coming holiday shopping seasons.
Dell is marketing the XPS 14z as the world’s thinnest, fully featured laptop with a slot for a DVD drive. In terms of thinness, it measures 23 millimeters (0.9 inches) and is built with an aluminum case, making it resemble Apple’s MacBook Pro line of laptops.
The laptop has a 14-inch HD display screen with a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. Users can choose to buy Dell’s XPS 14z with either Intel’s second generation Core i5 or Core i7 processors. Dell claims the laptop has a 7-hour battery life. In China, the starting price of the laptop is 7,699 yuan (US$1,205).
Dell launched the device first in China, right before the country’s National Day holiday. In a statement on the product launch, Dell noted that China has become the world’s largest PC market. In the second quarter, the country surpassed the U.S. in PC sales and shipments, according to research firm IDC.
While Dell’s strength has been in the U.S. market, the company is focusing more on developing markets, said Tracy Tsai, an analyst with research firm Gartner. In Asia, 14-inch laptops have been the most popular among consumers, she added.
“They are trying to inspire users to do more things on their PCs,” she said. “I think that’s the point of the ultrathins and the Ultrabook. It’s a kind of evolutionary process. PCs are evolving to the next stage.”