Dell launches new commercial portfolio to enhance hybrid work experience

Vivekanand Manjeri

It's hard to deny that the pandemic changed the way we work forever. With the world in a sudden lockdown, a new hybrid structure of work emerged, one that has persisted well into the post-pandemic era.

Dell's new commercial portfolio is aimed at professionals who live in this new environment, people who demand good performance and portability.

We sat down with Dell's Brand Director for the Client Solutions Group, Vivekanand Manjeri, to find out more on what Dell is doing to enable an enhanced hybrid work experience.

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Manjeri stressed that regardless of the size of an organisation, they are all "going through a rapid phase of digital transformation, and they are relying on good business PCs to improve employee engagement".

"As a result of this massive shift, we have seen demand from a variety of industries, including manufacturing, BFSI, healthcare, ed-tech and telecom, to name a few," said Manjeri.

The new devices also cater to different types of users, for example - "employees who want a powerful workstation that can handle intensive workloads while also addressing the needs of workers who need a portable device without sacrificing performance".

Manjeri said that Dell was providing "a variety of sizes, form factors, and functions to assist organisations in creating a modern workspace".

Dell's new Latitude 9440 is a sleek business notebook aimed at "executives, consultants or salespeople", while the Precision 5680 workstation was meant for "creators and engineers looking for superior performance and portability".

Dell is also launching a new OptiPlex All-In-One (AIO) desktop to simplify daily work experiences, while the Dell Ultrasharp 34-inch monitor is aimed at "specialised workers who require a larger display size to bring their ideas to life".

While performance is key to the hybrid work era, Dell is working to ensure sustainability in the new portfolio as well.

Manjeri says the company has already increased the use of recycled materials in this year's Latitude 5000 series, and the use of recycled and renewable plastic "increased by 64 percent over the previous generation of 5000 series".

The Latitude 9440 and Precision 5680 "include 75 percent recycled aluminum in the chassis and for the first-time recycled copper has been used in power adapters for Latitude 9440 and Precision 3480".

Manjeri added that the full Latitude and Precision portfolio ship with "100 percent recycled or renewable packaging and have Dell Optimizer’s ‘Quiet Mode’ setting that can provide up to 18 percent in power savings", while Dell's EcoLoop laptop cases "are made with 100 percent ocean-bound plastic from up to 11 recycled plastic bottles".

According to a report by research firm Canalys, the Indian PC market only grew a marginal 0.3 percent in 2022, when compared to 2021. Is it a sign that we are seeing PC sales stagnate? Manjeri doesn't think so.

"The annual shipments are still well above the pre-pandemic levels," said Manjeri.

"Commercial PCs and premium consumer PCs will continue to drive our growth long-term, as end-user productivity, hybrid work and the employee experience continue to be important investments," he observed.

One of the breakout trends of 2023 has been Generative AI. Intelligent chatbots like ChatGPT and Microsoft's Bing AI are pushing boundaries in the realm of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

When asked if Dell was looking to incorporate some AI smarts into its products, Manjeri said, "The incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) in laptops is critical in optimising personalisation while working from anywhere. Consider a scenario in which your PC adapts to the way you work in terms of improving thermal management, intelligent audio capabilities, and switching off the screen while you're away."

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Dell's AI-based software suite called Optimizer can learn "different work styles and responds to users' needs by automatically improving application performance, battery run-time, audio settings, and privacy".

Optimizer also allows users to manage multiple components and displays through a single interface, and has features such as echo cancelling, "which reduces background noise, and voice quality monitoring, which alerts the user with a pop-up when the quality is poor".

According to a report from Canalys, Dell was one of the top five companies in terms of sales in the Indian PC market for 2022. While the company's commercial portfolio grew its market share to 25.2 percent, the consumer portfolio dropped to 12.5 percent. Is this a sign of buyer fatigue in the consumer PC market?

"When looking at the overall purchasing behaviours during the pandemic, there were many first-time PC buyers who are now looking to upgrade their machines rather than purchasing new ones," replied Manjeri.

"However, as requirements change, the importance of having a good PC will only increase, and we believe the market will show positive signs of growth," he added.