New York – Toshiba has released its spring computer lineup
that has the company bringing down high-end features into its mainstream
products along with a total redesign of several models.
The company introduced new laptops in its C, L, P and Qosmio
laptop lines; however, at this time it did not bring out any new Ultrabooks.
One of Toshiba’s changes for the spring is to bring down
higher-end features into mainstream products, said Toshiba’s Young Bae, product marketing manager,
digital products division. This is to help offset the higher average selling
prices that have been in effect due to the hard-disk-drive shortage, he said.
The flagship P800 comes in 14, 15.6 and 17.3 inches and is
powered by Intel’s third-generation Core processors and Nvidia’s GeForce 630M
discrete graphics. Bae said the chassis were redesigned to include an etched
aluminum finish, backlit keyboard, Harman Kardon speakers and an optional
Blu-ray drive.
Other features include USB 3.0 ports, HD webcam and an HDMI
port.
Pricing starts at $799 for the P845 and P855 and $849 for
the P875. Bae said that although the P-series feature set to some extent
overlaps that with the Ultrabooks now on the market, he did not think one will
rob the other of sales.
“With laptops and Ultrabooks, one size will not fit all.
Some people will still want a two-spindle system that is still slim and light,”
he said.
The S800 comes in the same display sizes and processor
configurations, but has optional AMD discrete graphics. Pricing starts at $699,
and they will be available starting June 24 at retail.
The mainstream L800 and C800 laptops will come with display
sizes of 14, 15.6 and 17.3 inches and respective prices of $399, $499 and $599.
Bae said these include larger, recessed touchpads so they can be used with the
gesture controls that will be included in the upcoming Windows 8 operating
system. They also include SRS Premium HD sounds and are powered by AMD’s
multi-core Accelerated Processing Units or Intel’s third-generation Core
processors. Memory and storage capacities vary depending upon the configuration.
Toshiba’s Qosmio line has also been reworked to include a
new aluminum chassis that is 25 percent thinner and lighter than the previous
plastic model, Bae said. It comes only in a 17-inch size and is being targeted
at portable gamers and the professional market. Bae said there is a 3D option,
although 3D in laptops has not gained as much traction as the industry
expected.
The two new models are the X875 and X875 3D. Both units are
available with Intel’s Core processor line and Nvidia’s eForce GTX 670M GPU
with 3GB of discrete GDDR5 memory. The 3D version comes with Nvidia’s 3D Vision
2 kit that included active-shutter glasses. There is 2TB of storage, and a
variety of memory options are available, the company said.
The models range in price from $1,299 to $2,499, and they
will ship early in the third quarter.
