Dell on Tuesday challenged Apple’s popular iMac all-in-one with the introduction of XPS One 27, which has the largest screen in an all-in-one desktop from the company to date.
The XPS One 27 starts at US$1,399 and has a 27-inch screen that can display images at a 2560-by-1440 resolution. The all-in-one has Intel’s latest Ivy Bridge processors, up to 2TB of storage and 16GB of RAM. Users can select discrete graphics cards for faster multimedia.
The all-in-one will compete in a market that includes Apple’s iMac, said David Lord, director of business client product marketing. The XPS One 27 offers the advantage of a high-resolution screen and the latest Intel processors, Lord said.
Apple’s iMac comes with 21.5- and 27-inch screens. The 27-inch model starts at $1,699 and has an Intel quad-core processor based on the chip maker’s older Sandy Bridge architecture.
The XPS One 27 is targeted at creative professionals, much like Apple’s iMac and Mac Pro. Dell has been trying to encourage creative professionals to move away from Macs by holding discussions on how to switch from Apple’s Final Cut Pro on a Mac to Adobe Creative Suite on a Windows PC.
The XPS screen doesn’t have touch capabilities, and Dell officials did not comment on whether touch versions of the PC would be available on the release of Microsoft’s Windows 8 OS. Microsoft’s touch-based Windows 8 is scheduled for release later this year and Dell has said it would offer a full complement of products designed for the OS.
The XPS One 27 is now available in the U.S. and select countries in Asia. It will be available in additional countries in coming weeks.
Dell also upgraded the consumer Inspiron One 23 all-in-one with the latest Ivy Bridge processors and a full high-definition panel. The product starts at $649 and is available in the U.S. and some countries in Asia.
Agam Shah covers PCs, tablets, servers, chips and semiconductors for IDG News Service. Follow Agam on Twitter at @agamsh. Agam’s e-mail address is agam_shah@idg.com