Dell Inc, the second-largest maker of personal computers, will begin selling a notebook priced as low as US$399 from late June or early July, a person familiar with the matter said.
The new range of laptops will offer flash-memory-based storage of 8 gigabytes to 12 gigabytes and will be priced up to US$499, the person said, declining to be identified because the information isn’t public.
Michael Dell, chief executive officer of the Round Rock, Texas-based computer maker, said on Tuesday that Dell plans to release a “similar laptop” to one introduced by larger rival Hewlett-Packard Co targeted at students and educators.
The companies join Asustek Computer Inc (華碩電腦) in the market for low-cost, lighter notebooks, which are outselling desktops.
Dell expects to sell 1 million to 2 million of the new laptops this year, and will order between 200,000 and 300,000 of the computers a month from the manufacturer, the person said.
Compal Electronics Inc (仁寶電腦), the world’s second-largest maker of notebook computers, won orders from Dell to supply a new low-cost laptop, the Chinese-languange Economic Daily News reported last Thursday, without citing anyone.
Sales of laptop computers are rising six times faster than desktops and the company expects to sell 50 percent more notebooks this year than last year, Dell said on Tuesday.
Hewlett-Packard said Tuesday it will offer an ultra-portable PC priced from US$499. The HP Mini-Note weighs 1.2kg, has an 8.9-inch screen and is equipped with an almost full-size keyboard, it said.
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