Dell announces XPS 18: a giant all-in-one Windows 8 tablet starting at $899 (hands-on)
When we reviewed the best Windows 8 all-in-one desktop computers, it was a giant, bulky, pricey Dell desktop that rose to the top of the heap. Today, Dell's trying its hand at a radically different Windows 8 experience …
Context & Ripple Effects
Dell has been probing XPS form factors for years, from the original XPS One all-in-one to the Windows 8 hybrid and convertible pair introduced in 2012. The XPS 18 puts those experiments into a single device category rather than treating desktops and touch-first PCs as separate product lines.
That matters because Windows 8 is designed around a consistent interface across device classes. Dell is using the XPS brand to test whether that software continuity can make a desktop-sized screen portable enough to be sold as a tablet.
First-order effects
- Dell adds an $899-entry XPS option that combines all-in-one desktop positioning with tablet use, expanding the choices available to Windows 8 buyers.
- Windows 8 gains a Dell device built to demonstrate the same interface in both desk-bound and mobile settings.
Second-order effects
- Dell's XPS lineup becomes harder to segment by traditional PC categories, shifting the purchase decision toward screen size and portability rather than a simple desktop-versus-tablet choice.
- Retailers and reviewers must evaluate the XPS 18 against both all-in-ones and tablets, exposing the trade-offs of a product intended to serve both roles.
Third-order effects
- If large touch devices find demand, PC makers' product portfolios will increasingly organize around convertible use cases rather than fixed desktop, laptop, and tablet categories.
The trend: Windows 8 is pushing PC makers to blur desktop and tablet boundaries by using one interface across increasingly varied hardware forms.