Amid such futuristic concepts as self-driving cars to smart drones, CES 2016 had a somewhat unexpected star: commercial laptops. Yes, you read that right! Dell launched a new line of built-for-business laptops and 2-in-1s at the year’s biggest consumer technology show – and looking back at the multitude of awards, accolades and headlines – CES proved the perfect forum to do so. Let me take a moment to explain why.
Dell is known for creating reliable computing devices built for productivity and mobility, but this commercial launch is significant in that, as Ars Technica commented, “[the new Latitudes] represent a huge shift in how Dell approaches notebook design.” Our commercial customers have made it clear that product design is just as important to the business user as it is to the consumer, so we introduced the world to an entirely new lineup of thin, light and mobile commercial PCs at CES. We announced our most powerful, beautiful commercial portfolio in company history, and dedicated our focus on how our customers are accomplishing great things using our new solutions. Our beautiful products swept the show, leaving with more than 40 awards including LAPTOP, ZDNet and nine CES Innovation Awards, and glowing coverage from CNET to The Verge.
This was no accident. Because we’re so inspired by what our customers do, we spent over 18 months creating this new lineup that helps companies bring big ideas, products and services to life, in a way that only Dell can. We’ve listened to what our customers said they need, to get the job done both now and down the line, and have released a line of future ready business technology and ecosystems.
Our all-star design team steadfastly integrated customer feedback and fixated over every design detail to make everyday workplace technology better, lighter, more desirable and more mobile. If you’re sensing some déjà vu here, that’s because we have adapted some of the winning features from our highly-acclaimed XPS line – such as the InfinityEdge display, our thinnest and lightest form factors, tight collaboration with Microsoft/Windows 10 and more – and integrated it into our industry-leading commercial offerings. What this all means is we’ve created the world’s most secure, manageable and reliable commercial systems on the market that look as good as they function and that employees will be proud to carry while they’re on the job.
Technology pundits agree, Dell is doing something very right:
- According to Patrick Moorhead in Forbes, “CES 2016 for Dell was all about improving design and upgrading existing product lines while introducing entirely new product lines that follow Dell’s principals of always pushing the technological envelope.”
- Our Latitudes received wide acclaim, described by Mark Walton of Ars Technica, “The flagship 13-inch Latitude 7000 is effectively an XPS 13 in business garb… It’s stark and business-like, yet maintains the elegance of the XPS 13 design, right down its slender profile and InfinityEdge display.”
- And there’s growing evidence of the proliferation of 2-in-1s: Pedro Martinez of eWEEK writes, “Dell’s latest two-in-one Windows tablets for commercial customers are clad in sleek black enclosures, a welcome departure from the company’s stodgy business laptops of old.”
- Awards are rolling in, with Best Business Laptop from Computer Shopper, Best Business Gadget from ZDNet, CES 2016 Excellence Award: Best Notebooks & Accessories from Notebooks.com, and many more.
It’s clear that Dell is committed to developing not only high performance devices, but innovative products that are well-suited for a variety of professionals that they’ll want to show off.
Is this the dawn of a new Dell? Make no mistake, we’re always evolving, but we’ll let the headlines from #CES2016 speak for themselves… and we’re excited to bring these amazing new features to people everywhere. We want people to be inspired by their technology, and in turn, we’ll continue to be impressed by the work they do.
The Latitude 11 5000 Series and Latitude 12 7000 Series will be available beginning in early February 2016 and the Latitude 13 7000 Series will be available beginning on March 8, 2016.
