New Dell Latitude Notebooks and OptiPlex 990 Desktops Now Available

Dell Latitude E notebook banner

Dell has a long heritage as business professionals building solutions for business professionals.  And in early February, we announced a huge portfolio of business client systems, including new additions to our Latitude and OptiPlex families.  Response to this line-up was overwhelmingly positive, as some noted it was “one of the best product lines that Dell, or anyone else, has brought to market” and “the new lineup is probably one of the strongest that they've had in years.”  Today marks the availability of several of those new Latitude and OptiPlex systems. 

Designed as business-class tools with consumer appeal, the Latitude E6520, E6420, E5520 and E5420 are now available.  Designed to be the most secure, flexible and manageable desktops, the OptiPlex 990 (in four different form factors) is also available.

With the new Latitude family we kept all the goodness of the second-generation E2 family, which received the highest-ever scores on durability (more on that in a minute), but also significantly increased the productivity, security and manageability of the systems.  Here are some highlights:

  • Most secure notebooks ever – Dell Data Protection, Remote Data Delete, Free Fall Sensor
  • Commonality – 26 models – 1 dock, AC adaptor and internal bay modules
  • Productivity – Only business-class family of notebooks with backlit keyboards
  • Leading performance – options with the E6520 and E6420 include the second-generation Intel quad core processing, discrete graphics and multi-touch displays

Our design efforts focused on two key audiences; end-users and IT professionals.  Our defining principle was to create business-class tools with consumer appeal.  So, after extensive worldwide research and customer discussions, we made over 100 design improvements.  Here are some of the highlights:

  • New fit & finish with a magnesium frame structure to last and withstand the toughest IT environments
  • Added HDMI ports to make connections to consumer and professional components seamless
  • Enlarged track pad by 30% and microscopic keyboard gaps for greater ergonomics
  • Single back access door for serviceability
  • Integrated WLAN (MIMO), WiMAX, WWAN, LTE antennas for anytime connectivity

Our OptiPlex family of business desktops has been a staple of Dell’s PC portfolio for 18 years.  And the new OptiPlex 990 builds on that heritage by representing the most powerful, most manageable and “greenest” commercial desktop we’ve ever offered. 

As with the Latitude family, the OptiPlex 990 offers completely redesigned form factors and are amongst the smallest within their categories. The mini-tower, desktop and small-form factor chassis have been optimized to help maximize desk space and ensure the systems integrate seamlessly into virtually any office environment.

To give you an idea of the OptiPlex 990 performance, it’s powered by the advanced 2nd generation Intel Core i7 vPro processor, offers generous high-speed memory options and supports up to four simultaneous video displays across small-form factor, desktop and mini-tower chassis with dual PCI-express slots. And for virtualized environments, the OptiPlex 990 also sup­ports flexible desktop virtualization ranging from virtual remote desktop control to on-demand desktop streaming or cli­ent hosted virtualization.

Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) is one of our customers’ highest consideration points and OptiPlex 990 delivers.  The system offers a premier-class of security and management options to meet an organization’s unique needs and challenges.  Manageability solutions include the latest Intel vPro re­mote management technology, and security options include Dell Data Protection with one-touch preset compliance policy templates, flexible encryption and sin­gle solution for system disk as well as removable media that work in unique environments.   In addition, Dell KACE system management appliances are fully-compatible with the OptiPlex 990 desktops, enabling easy deployment of remote manageability and maintenance simplification. The OptiPlex platform’s com­mitment to stability, long-lifecycle and managed transi­tions also help ensure IT to save time and money.

On top of sheer performance and low TCO, OptiPlex systems all have a minimum of 10% post-consumed recycled plastic enclosure and offer highly efficient power supply options. And starting with the OptiPlex 990 small form factor, Dell pro­vides select brominated flame retardant free (BFR-free) and polyvinyl chloride free (PVC-free) configurations and recyclable packaging (by the way, the same can be said for the Latitude E6420.)

The new Latitude and OptiPlex systems build on our history of delivering open, capable and affordable client computing solutions that meet the evolving needs of the workforce.  And our family of business desktops and laptops were recently recognized for this commitment with #1 rankings according to Technology Business Research’s latest Corporate IT Buying Behavior and Customer Satisfaction Studies.  Dell notebooks ranked #1 for Q4 2010, displacing a competitor after six quarters.  And Dell business desktops have achieved three #1 rankings in the past six periods.  We expect this tradition to continue with the introduction of these latest solutions.

I am excited to launch the newest (and best ever) members of the Dell Business Product Family!

Comments or questions on the new line-up? Let us know below.

About the Author: Kirk Schell

Kirk Schell is senior vice president of Dell’s Commercial Client Product Group. In this role he is responsible for overseeing strategy, planning, launch and sustaining programs, brand and messaging for Dell Latitude commercial client products and Dell’s Internet of Things edge computing portfolio. Mr. Schell has held multiple leadership roles in his 18 year career at Dell. Previously, he led the Marketing organization for Dell’s Business Client Product Group and was responsible for product strategy, product planning and management, messaging and overall business performance of the Latitude, OptiPlex and Dell Precision brands. Before that role, he served in Shanghai, China as director of the Vostro Product Group for Dell’s Small and Medium Business (SMB) division. In that capacity he was responsible for the Vostro desktop and notebook product line and Emerging Market products in Dell’s portfolio of SMB products worldwide. Before joining Dell, Mr. Schell served as an officer in the United States Navy in the US Navy Nuclear Power Program. He also served as the United States Navy Liaison to Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth in Devon, England. Mr. Schell holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from The University of Michigan. He now lives in Austin, Texas after repatriating in June 2010 from Shanghai, China and the Dell China Design Center.