These days, it’s pretty standard to see new, touchable all-in-one (AiO) devices from companies like HP, Sony, and Dell. It helps that Microsoft is banking on touch capabilities in Windows 8, and that there is a large, young generation for workers used to touchable smartphones and adjusting to tablets.
Dell has upped the ante just a tad with the XPS 18. Not just designed to be a touchable AiO, the XPS also comes with a built-in battery. This allows users to transport the device from room to room without powering down.
Essentially, this is a desktop/tablet hybrid. The XPS 18 isn’t the first desktablet (yes, I totally just made that up) we’ve seen. Sony announced one back in August. The Tab 20, however, rings up at $1,188 on Amazon, while the XPS 18 is planned to start at $900 and will likely be more widely promoted. Early reviews note that the XPS 18 is much lighter than the Tap 20, which is a big plus. No, you’re not going to be shoving an 18″ device in your backpack any time soon, but if you want a device that can be somewhat portable, lighter is better.
More importantly, the existence of the XPS 18 shows that the desktablet concept is not just some quirky Sony form factor (see: any late 90s VAIO model). Will this continue to trend? The thought of a portable all-in-one from Lenovo or HP — both companies with a long history of interesting AiO devices — is appealing. Additionally, could such interfaces becoming common mean an eventual touchable iMac is inevitable?
Windows 8 might not be everyone’s favorite OS just yet, but I do have to admit that as long as it continues to result in neat hardware like this, I can forgive Microsoft.
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