Dell to follow HP and produce low-cost notebook

CEO of Dell, Michael Dell, wasted no time following HP's introduction of the Mini-Note to proclaim that Dell will be producing their own competitor this year.  Dell stated that they will introduce a laptop similar to the HP Mini that we'll see in the next two quarters. 

"We do see opportunities for very interesting products that are smaller and lighter and address the more mobile users in a very cost-effective way," he said, adding the laptops would "fit into the category" of targeting a market for children.

Comments

[kamal]

Oh man! this is getting crazy now.

seriously, I'm just about to purchase an EEE 8G soon. Guys guys! tell me, if I'm still going in right direction :p

[Nate]

You'd have to be nuts to purchase an 8G Eee Pc right now. The new Eee is supposed to be out in the second half of this month.

[WLS]

I wouldn't get an EEE now. They broke the general assumption that a laptop has to be expensive but now that they have proved there is a market for a small notepad everybody wants a piece of the action. The manufacturers have been raking in big profits on laptops for years but the technology and economy of scale has finally turned the corner and prices are set to tumble for all brands. Desktops are going to be obsolete as laptops and all in one devices take over the market.

[nomo]

This post probably came from an external user, but it is interesting to see it on a Dell web site:
http://www.ideastorm.com/article/show/10079892/Design_a_UMPC_to_counter_HPs_mininote_2133

[nomo]

James: The Mercury News link posted above seems to be dead.

[James Kendrick]

I just redid the link and tested it again and it works now. I hope.

[cr0ft]

Personally I'm not that stoked about these mini laptops for kids. I love the price/performance or usefulness ratio, don't get me wrong. I'm a mobility geek after all. But still...

Any laptop is an ergonomic nightmare. Cramped keyboard, causing your hands to be held flat and angled out in a completely horrible position leading to repetitive strain injury pretty guaranteed in the long run, the normal "laptop hunch" where you just sit in an awful posture and a small screen requiring you to get right up there to see it well (see the laptop hunch statement earlier.)

It's bad enough when those things start in adulthood, but give these to small kids and really get a nice headstart on the damage and I have to wonder just how bad things will get?

I love these devices, but I have to wonder about the godawful ergonomics.

[kamal]

@ Nate and WLS: thanks for the reply. well, the newer EEE will be bigger(8.9"). I ll be carrying it in my hands eveyrwhere I go(ok not everywhere ;) )and not in a bag. I need 7" device. I really got mersemerised by the new HP mini notebook, but ASA i saw its weight, I immediately lost all my interest. I need a light weight. I was actually going in for the U810(fujitsu) before but it is way too cramped in terms of keyboard; no trackpad.
If the dell is going to follow the HP's trait ie making a 'heavier' EEE, then I'm simply not interested

warm regards

[Nate]

By all accounts, the larger screened Eee Pc is only slightly larger than the 7". Here's a link to some comparison shots:

http://www.engadget.com/photos/hot-9-inch-on-7-inch-eee-pc-action/673210/

[Cody B]

After the TX I expect dell's laptop to cost $2400. I lost a lot of faith in them after the TX, it could have been great.

[Mike Cane]

Dell made a big noise years ago about hiring the guy who designed Apple's Powerbooks (which, at that time, were still groundbreaking). What came of it?

Nada.

I won't hold my breath for Dell. Neither should you.

As for the 8.9" EeePC, be careful. Due to the hp Mini, Asus is rushing out a model of it which does *not* have the Atom CPU. I'd wait for the Atomed one.

[Art]

These guys and the UMPC market need to get a clue as to what most people really crave and it is not another laptop size computer. You can buy a more powerful laptop for the same price or lower.

What Dell said is the key that they do not even get "small". If they made a clamshell touch type keyboard coat size UMPC that would be a big seller. I for one would buy one right now! There are no such devices available so that would enable them to make a good profit but for anything larger than a coat pocket these laptop size UMPC's seem like a joke. I could buy a Dell full laptop with better specification for $329 so this makes no sense at all. I think people are just excited that they have a full touch type keyboard and they are calling it a UMPC? You can have a coat size UMPC with a touch type keyboard if you model it after a HP Jornada 720.