Dell Expands Latitude and Inspiron Notebook Lines With Mobile Pentium II Processors At Aggressive Prices; New Entry-Level Latitude Includes High-Performance STN Display.

ROUND ROCK, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 2, 1998--

New Inspiron Systems With TFT Displays Start at $2,699

Dell Computer Corporation (NASDAQ:DELL) today expanded both of its affordable notebook PC lines with four new systems featuring Intel(R) Mobile Pentium(R) II processors. The company also announced a new entry-level model in its Latitude(R) notebook PC line, priced at $2,299, with a high-performance, high-contrast 12.1-inch dual-scan screen.

Dell, the world's leading direct computer systems company, announced two new models in its Inspiron(TM) notebook PC line designed for consumers and small business customers. A system with a 266MHz Intel Mobile Pentium II processor and a 13.3-inch active-matrix screen is priced at $2,899. An Inspiron notebook PC with a 233MHz Intel Mobile Pentium II processor and a 13.3-inch active-matrix screen is priced at $2,699.

Overall system performance of Dell notebook PCs with Intel's new Mobile Pentium II processors is expected to improve about 10 percent from previous systems based on Pentium processors with MMX(TM) technology.

In today's announcement, Dell also broadened its Latitude(R) notebook PC line, designed for large corporate and institutional customers, with three new models. The new entry-level system, well-suited for education customers, includes a 200MHz Pentium processor with MMX technology and a high-performance, high-contrast screen that provides a fast response time and a brighter, more clear viewing area than previously available in Super Twisted Nematic (STN) displays. A Latitude notebook PC with a 266MHz Intel Mobile Pentium II processor and a 13.3-inch active-matrix screen is priced at $3,499. The third addition to the Latitude notebook PC line, a system with an Intel 233MHz Mobile Pentium II processor and a 12.1-inch active-matrix screen, is priced at $2,999. These new Latitude systems are scheduled to ship later this month.

"Custom building each system as orders come in rather than to a forecasted demand allows us to maintain a short inventory cycle. This enables us to quickly deliver reliable notebook products that feature the latest, high-performing components, such as Intel's new Mobile Pentium II processors, at aggressive prices," said Kevin Rollins, vice chairman, Dell Computer Corporation.

Dell also announced that it expects to begin shipping next month increased storage capacity of up to 6.4 gigabytes (GB) across its Latitude and Inspiron notebook PC lines.

LATITUDE CPi NOTEBOOK PC LINE

The new Latitude CPi notebook PC line, the latest addition to the Latitude family, is ideal for business customers working in networked environments who require predictable technology transitions and want reliable products with ease of connectivity.

Other advanced features include:

-- Enhanced Security: With a hard disk drive password protection

feature, customers can protect the data on their hard disk drive.

-- Dependable, Lightweight Design: Because corporate customers

demand reliability, Dell designs and tests the Latitude notebook

products to ensure they are dependable. The Latitude CP M233ST

won the PC Computing Sixth Annual Notebook Torture Test, making

Latitude the winner three out of four years and the only notebook

PC to survive the test four years in a row. The publication

bakes, freezes, drops and spills coffee on the notebook PCs.

Customers can choose from a Dell Latitude CPi with a 12.1-inch

active-matrix screen that weighs 5.6 pounds or a system with a

13.3-inch active-matrix screen weighing 6.1-pounds, both with the

floppy drive installed. Customers can also replace the floppy

drive with a standard travel module to further reduce the

systems' carrying weight to 5.3-pounds and 5.8-pounds

respectively.

-- Systems Management: Every Dell Latitude CP/CPi notebook system is

DMI 2.0 compliant and supports Dell OpenManage(TM) Client 4.2,

Dell's easy-to-use systems management tool. This tool allows MIS

managers to monitor and control, both locally and remotely, key

portable technologies such as PC Card status, docking station

connection, system configuration, asset and service tags and

system power management settings.

-- Superior Overall Battery Performance: The ExpressCharge(TM)

feature enables the long-life smart lithium-ion batteries to be

recharged in about an hour -- four times faster than the average

of competitor's published recharge times(a). To double the

system's battery life, customers can purchase a second long-life

smart lithium-ion battery for $169 for use in the modular bay.

Both of these features contribute to an increase in productivity

for users given the higher availability of run time.

-- Backward Compatible: To protect customers' investments, the

Latitude CPi docking station and peripherals are compatible with

the existing Latitude CP line. Customers can easily exchange or

reuse the removable hard drives, long-life smart lithium-ion

batteries and memory from the previous generation.

INSPIRON 3200 NOTEBOOK PC LINE

Dell continues to drive high-end features into its aggressively-priced Inspiron(TM) notebook PC line which is ideal for consumers and small business customers who want to purchase the most computer for their money.

Other advanced features include:

-- Outstanding Multimedia Performance: These new systems provide

high-end multimedia performance to demanding notebook users. By

combining Intel's Pentium II processors with NeoMagic's 128-bit

video accelerator which incorporates 2 megabytes (MB) of extended

data out (EDO) memory, customers can take advantage of the

powerful performance required to run graphics-intensive

multimedia programs.

-- Flexible Design: An options bay allows users to configure the

Dell Inspiron 3200 notebook computers to meet their specific

needs. Customers can swap the standard 24X(b) CD-ROM drive, a

floppy disk drive or an optional second lithium-ion battery in

the same bay. To double the system's battery life, customers can

purchase a second lithium-ion battery for $169. All of these

features are available in a 6.6-pound package for a system with a

13.3-inch active-matrix screen with the floppy drive installed or

6.9-pounds with the CD-ROM drive.

Additional information on Dell notebook products can be found on the company's website at http://www.dell.com/products/notebook/latitude/cp/index.htm and http://www.dell.com/products/notebook/inspiron/insp3200/index.htm

Ranked in the top 200 of Fortune 500(R) companies, Dell Computer Corporation is the world's leading direct computer systems company, based on revenues of $12 billion for the past four quarters. Dell designs and customizes products and services to end-user requirements, and offers an extensive selection of peripherals and software through the DellWare(R) program. Information on Dell and its products can be obtained through its toll-free number 1-800-388-8542 or by accessing the Dell World Wide Web server at www.dell.com.

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Dell and Latitude are registered trademarks, Inspiron and ExpressCharge are trademarks and DellWare is a registered service mark of Dell Computer Corporation. Intel and Pentium are registered trademarks and MMX is a trademark of Intel Corporation. Fortune 500 is a registered trademark of Time Inc. Dell disclaims any proprietary interest in the marks and names of others.

(a) Based on information from PC Magazine's PC Labs Online located at: http://www.zdnet.com/pcmag/pclabs/pcs/pc1514.htm

(b) 24X maximum/10X minimum

                    SAMPLE CONFIGURATIONS & PRICES

Latitude CP M200SD                    Latitude CPi D233ST

Intel 200MHz w/ MMX Technology        Intel 233MHz Mobile Pentium II
12.1" SVGA HPHC STN LCD               12.1" SVGA TFT LCD
NM2160 (128 bit G/A)                  NM2160 (128 bit G/A)
32 MB EDO RAM                         32 MB EDO RAM
512 KB L2 Cache                       512 KB L2 Cache
3.2 GB HDD                            3.2 GB HDD
20X CD-ROM(c)                         20X CD-ROM
16-bit Business Audio                 16-bit Business Audio
Smart Li-Ion Battery                  Smart Li-Ion Battery
Three-year limited warranty           Three-year limited warranty
5.3lbs with travel module             5.3 lbs with travel module
5.6 lbs with FDD module               5.6 lbs with FDD module
$2,299                                $2,999


Latitude CPi D266XT

Intel 266MHz Mobile Pentium II
13.3" XGA TFT LCD
NM2160 (128 bit G/A)
32 MB EDO RAM
512 KB L2 Cache
3.2 GB HDD
20X CD-ROM
16 bit Business Audio
Smart Li-Ion Battery
Three-year limited warranty
5.8 lbs with travel module
6.1 lbs with FDD module
$3,499


Inspiron 3200 D266XT                  Inspiron 3200 D233XT

Intel 266MHz Mobile Pentium II        Intel 233MHz Mobile Pentium II
13.3" XGA TFT LCD                     13.3" XGA TFT LCD
NM2160 (128 bit G/A)                  NM2160 (128 bit G/A)
32 MB SDRAM                           32 MB SDRAM
3.2 GB HDD                            3.2GB HDD
24X CD-ROM(d)                         24X CD-ROM
Smart Li-Ion Battery                  Smart Li-Ion Battery
MSO Small Business Edition            MSO Small Business Edition
One-year limited warranty             One-year limited warranty
$2,899                                $2,699

(c) 20X maximum/9.3X minimum
(d) 24X maximum/10X minimum

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For a complete copy of our Limited Warranties and Guarantees, please write to Dell USA L.P., One Dell Way, Round Rock, TX 78682. On-site service provided by an independent 3rd-party service provider. One-site service may not be available in certain remote locations.

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