Dell announced a new line of aluminum-clad laptops featuring touchscreens Sept. 24.
The new line of laptops is known as the Inspiron 7000 Series and is available with screen sizes of 14 inches, 15 inches and 17 inches. The laptops come with backlit keyboards, and the screens are made with durable Gorilla Glass.
Touchscreen laptops are not new, although they have become more common since Microsoft released Windows 8. Windows 8 is configured to be more compatible with touchscreens than previous versions of Windows have been.
David Barley, a senior from Orem studying computer science, has a touchscreen Asus computer.
“I find that touchscreen computers are much easier to use than non-touchscreen computers,” Barley said. “I frequently turn off my trackpad and just interact through the touchscreen. I find that it’s much more intuitive.”
Aluminum casing is also used in Apple’s MacBook Pro laptops.
The Inspiron 7000 Series may currently be ordered through Dell. The 15-inch model is expected to ship Oct. 14 while the 14- and 17-inch models are expected to ship Oct. 10 from Dell. The laptops will become available in retail stores at a later date.
The 15-inch model’s base price is $699, and the 14- and 17-inch models begin at $849.
