As a tidal wave of Windows 8 devices are due to hit the market together with the official release of Windows 8, HP and Dell have revealed details for their line-ups of consumer and business PCs.
Windows 8 has inspired hardware manufacturers to increasingly blur the lines between tablets, ultrabooks and laptops to leverage the new touch-friendly interface. Included in both Dell and HP's Windows 8 line-ups are notebooks, desktops, tablets and hybrids.
James Mouton, senior VP and GM of HP's PC global business unit, says: "HP's portfolio of ultra-thin notebooks, sleek all-in-ones and high-performance business PCs is designed to meet the needs of customers anticipating the release of the Windows 8 OS."
HP's key consumer offering, positioned to compete with Microsoft's Surface tablet as well as the iPad, is the Envy x2. The ultra-thin hybrid PC can function as both a notebook and a tablet, with a detachable 11.6-inch display. The device also features Beats Audio, HD Web cam and 8MP camera, and near-field communication technology. The starting price of $849.99 has, however, been criticised for not being competitive in the current market.
HP's other consumer offerings include the 15.6-inch multi-touch SpectreXT TouchSmart Ultrabook, which starts at $1 399.99, and the Envy TouchSmart Ultrabook 4, which is a 14-inch multi-touch ultrabook starting at $799.99.
All-in-one desktop offerings include the HP Envy 23 and Envy 20 TouchSmart PCs, which both have 10-point multi-touch technology and start at $999 and $799, respectively. Details of HP's full Windows 8 line-up can be viewed on the company's Web site.
Hybrids rule
Dell has a portfolio of 10 devices, including the XPS 10 tablet, Inspiron 15z and XPS 12 Convertible Touch Ultrabook.
Sam Burd, VP and GM of the PC product group at Dell, says: "We're unveiling a comprehensive refresh of all our consumer and commercial products to take advantage of Windows 8. These stylish new products include clean and intuitive touch experiences, the security and manageability required by IT departments, and features to allow anytime, anywhere access to data and applications."
The Inspiron 15z Ultrabook has a 15.6-inch display and starts at $899 for the touch-display model, and $749 for the non-touch version. Dell's tablet offering, the XPS 10, has a 10.1-inch touch display with a resolution of 1 366 x 768 pixels, a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S3 processor, 32GB or 64GB of flash storage, a 2MP Web cam, a 5MP rear-facing camera, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. The tablet starts at $499, matching the price of the entry-level Surface tablet and that of the latest generation iPad.
The XPS 12 Convertible Touch Ultrabook is positioned as being 'two devices in one' - running as either a notebook or a full touch-enabled tablet. The design concept was previously seen in the Inspiron Duo, with the screen being capable of swivelling within its frame and latching into place via magnets. The new XPS 12 starts at $1 199. Full details on Dell's Windows 8 products can be viewed here.
Last week, Samsung also revealed the details of its Windows 8 offerings, stating it intends to break into the top five PC vendors by 2015. The South Korean manufacturer is pushing the concept of 'smart PCs' which combine notebook and tablet capabilities.
The ATIV Smart PC currently has two models, the Pro 700 T and the 500T. The entry-level 500T has been given a US price point of $749, and features the S-pen stylus, five-finger touch capacity, an Intel Atom processor, 2GB RAM and an 11.6-inch display. The 500T can also be bought without the detachable keyboard for $650.
The higher level Pro 700T also has the same 11.6-inch display but has 10-finger touch, an Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM and is priced at $1 199.
* Local pricing and availability is still to be revealed by the different manufacturers. Windows 8 will be officially launched in SA by Microsoft at an event tonight and ITWeb will be reporting live. Follow @ITWeb on Twitter for the latest updates.
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