Dell Targets End of 2012 for New Tablet Push

Tablets have been one of the major trends at CES, and it seems even those that didn't bring any to the show are eager to let the tech world know they're not going miss the tablet train.

Dell has already shown us some of its tablet prowess with the Streak (pictured), but, alas, the Streak was not long for this world. The company didn't bring any slates to CES 2012, but it is planning to have another bash at the consumer tablet market. In fact, the company told Reuters this week that it would release a new tablet by the end of the year. Chief commercial officer Steve Felice told the news outlet that it's planning a bigger push into the consumer arena, adding that the company has just been laying low while rivals attempt to churn out iPad killers.

"We have been taking our time. The general failure of everyone that's tried to introduce a tablet outside of Apple," he's quoted as saying. "You will see us enter this market in a bigger way toward the end of the year. So we are not really de-emphasizing it, we are really being very careful how we enter it."

"When you are talking about PC, people are more focused on the hardware itself. When you are talking about the tablet or the smartphone, people are interested in the overall environment it's operating in," he added. "As we have matured in this, we are spending a lot more time in the overall ecosystem."

Felice didn't mention any specifics, such as screen size or what it's learned from watching the likes of HP and RIM try and fail to take on Apple and other successful tablet manufacturers. He also remained quiet on what Dell plans to do differently this time around, which leaves us free to conjure up our dream tablet and hope that Dell is paying attention. What would you like to see in the next Dell tablet? Let us know in the comments below!

  • el33t
    As if the streak failure wasn't enough for em'
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  • I'll buy a tablet when I cant get 1920x1080 resolution (or better) and not before. Movies just look like crap on the lower res tablets.
    Reply
  • jdenova007
    Tablets have uses... but not for me...

    I am happy with my DroidX capabilities and 4.3" screen... if I want bigger/better I go to my Monster PC with 27" Cinema Display... if I want even better... I go to my PS3(Blu-ray) and 47" LCD....

    Tablets are of no use to me. They seem to fall into more of a business luxury.
    Reply
  • yanjustin98
    Don't really see the point in tablets. Cell phones are improving quickly enough and with 5 inch screens there really isn't too much of a point to tablets. Might as well have a laptop and a phone. And if Dell doesn't have a bad enough reputation in computers.
    Reply
  • kaisellgren
    Are you guys kidding? One use for a tablet I have is to be able to watch movies, surf the web, read ebooks and maybe even play time wasting games. I do that a lot while I travel. It takes an hour to go to job and back, a 10" tablet is far better suited for movie watching than some smartphone... and I see no point in a laptop because they are too heavy to carry with you every freaking day.
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  • southernshark
    I love tablets, but the future is the hybrid, like the Asus Transformer Prime. The ability to use it either as a tablet or a laptop makes it ideal.
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  • yanjustin98
    Now that you put it this way, it does make sense. But the cell phone industry is growing so fast. Won't be long before we're all walking around with cases designed for like 6 in phones. Pretty funny stuff. But for practicality purposes I would get a laptop and cell phone first. Tablets definitely offer a good option for a entertainment tool and flexible entertainment platform.
    Reply
  • GreaseMonkey_62
    Ok, if Dell did happen to build my dream tablet it would have a hex-core RISC processor, 2 gigs of RAM, 1920 x 1080 HD 10.1" screen, microSD slot, and HDMI out. Also it would come with a keyboard dock that adds 2 full size USB ports, 8 hours of battery life and has another HD ~100 gigs. All this for only $200. And so ends the pipe dream.
    Reply
  • cookoy
    Tablets are very handy for short duration content consumption, like surfing the internet in bed before going to sleep or doing some doodles while on a boring meeting. But i won't use them to do real work.
    Reply
  • GreaseMonkey_62
    I'm sorry did I say $200, I meant they would give them away to people in IT.
    Reply