Dell Plans to Launch an Ultrabook Laptop at CES 2012

Dell is one one of the few major notebook manufacturers who haven't announced plans to build an ultra-thin notebook following Intel's specifications for Ultrabooks, but his may change at the beginning of 2012 when the company is expected to launch its own design based on this concept.

Most probably Dell will wait for CES 2012 to announce this new laptop model, which could mean that this would arrive exactly three years after the announcement of the first notebook in the Adamo series, which went head to head with the MacBook Air.

Few facts are known right now about Dell's Ultrabook, but the close proximity to the Ivy Bridge launch, could mean that Intel's upcoming chips may find a way to arrive in Dell's notebook.

Intel defined the Ultrabook as a laptop that combines high performance, excellent responsiveness and security in a slim and elegant chassis, all for sub $1000 US (although manufacturer have troubles reaching this last target).

Until now, such designs have been announced by Asus, with the UX-series, Acer, with the Aspire S3, as well as by Lenovo and Toshiba.

None of these however have been released in US or Europe, but Asus' models will be officially unveiled in New York in exactly a week from now, on October 11.

Even though it isn't an actual Ultrabook, earlier this week Dell announced that it will soon introduce the XPS 14z notebook that features an ultra-thin aluminum chassis with a height of 0.9 inches (about 22.8mm).

Furthermore, the laptop also makes use of an LG Shuriken display with a narrow bezel which allowed Dell to fit it inside a case the same dimension as the ones used for 13.3-inch notebooks.

On the inside, the XPS 14z can be configured to feature regular voltage Core i5 and Core i7 processors, Nvidia Optimus-enabled graphics, SSD or HDD storage and the unit also includes an optical drive and USB 3.0 connectivity. The starting price is set at $999 mark (736 Euro). (via Cnet)