Dell looks to expand business reach for tablets

Dell is hoping that the strengths of the Windows 8 platform will help the company expand its tablet lineup into the enterprise market.

The company is currently offering two models geared towards small business users and the enterprise. The ARM-powered XPS 10 targets the consumer and small business space, while the Latitude 10 will sport an Atom chip and will look to conquer the enterprise space.

Neil Hand, vice president of product marketing for Dell's global end user computing business, said that the familiarity and ubiquity of the Windows platform in the enterprise space will help Dell get a leg up on competitors looking to move iOS and Android devices into the business world.

"I think this is one of our advantages against Apple and more traditional vendors," Hand told V3.

"We bring a history of knowing business and knowing consumer and building a bridge between those two worlds."

Hand said that when designing tablets for the business space, the company had to emphasise elements such as battery life. He explained that business users in particular required the extended battery life offered by its tablet line when traveling between locations.

In turn, the company said that it is seeing users change the way they use their tablets. Hand noted that elements such as touch input and instant startup are changing behaviours and allowing users to access business data much in the same way mobile phones have.

As tablet usage increases, Hand believes that the company will see the business world change its habits as well.

"We are in the early days of bringing Windows 8 tablets to market and we have been really pleased with the customer response," he said.

"I think that whole touch experience has gotten people excited to think about not just how do I use it on the go, but re-envisioning how I use it."