Dell will be launching a new family of Intel Atom "Netbooks" called the Dell "E". It's another entry in to the cheap tiny laptop market joining companies like Asus, MSI, and Acer. But Dell's latest entry is actually going outside of the traditional Netbook market with a 12.1" display which has traditionally - as if the market is that old - used 10" or smaller displays.
I realize that some of you might think I may have made a typo in my headline to call it a sub-notebook but it was deliberate. For me, once the display size gets in to the 10+ inch arena, it's a sub-notebook replacement. I realize that this probably scares the hell out of Intel and other computer makers to hear this because it cannibalizes the high-margin sub-notebook market but I’m just being honest about it. I think a lot of people who don’t have money burning a hole through their pockets probably feel the same way as I do.
For a simple office productivity computer, it's just not going to kill me to have a 1.6 GHz Atom processor versus a high-end sub-notebook with a dual-core 1.3 GHz Core 2 Duo processor. I realize the latter processor is probably 50 to 80 percent faster in processing power but it's not enough of a difference to make me want to spend over $2000 on a sub-notebook when these new Netbooks cost a quarter of the money.
This had Intel so concerned that CEO Paul Otellini said that the Atom isn't something most of us will use. Sony executives were equally concerned when they said that this was a "race to the bottom" (of margins) and I think they were right to be concerned. There will always be people willing to pay for the premium products because they have the money or their business has the money to spend, but I suspect a lot more people will be looking at these Netbooks as an alternative to pricy sub-notebooks.
Here are some specs on the Dell E slim and a more detailed comparison between all the Dell E models including the 8.9" LCD versions. Note that Dell has only stated that the entry level model will be priced at $299 so it's anyone's guess how much more the other models will be. I'm hoping Dell will be aggressive and sell the highest end model in the $500 range. Barring any horrific reviews of some serious flaw in the product, this will likely be my new "sub-notebook".
Here are the specifications for the highest end 12.1" Dell E Slim+ model.
- 12.1" WXGA (probably means 1366x768 resolution)
- 1.6 GHz Intel Silverthorne Atom processor
- 2 GB DDR2 RAM
- 60 GB 1.8" Hard Drive
- 802.11g and Bluetooth
- Camera
- Linux (trimmed down fast booting)
- BYO (Bring Your Own) Windows XP
- Not sure if Vista Drivers are available
I'm not sure if the 12.1" model has an SDHC flash card reader yet but it's not a show stopper for me.