The computer giant Dell provided a first look at a creative PC dubbed ‘Smart Desk’ on Thursday at the Adobe MAX 2016 conference. The new computer gets rid of the peripherals and adds a second screen.
The teaser by Dell follows Microsoft’s reveal of its Surface Studio last week during a dedicated Windows 10 event. Dell’s latest ventures in the industry had been primarily joint initiatives like OpenCAPI alongside other tech leaders like IBM, HP, and Google.
The company said the Smart Desk concept has been under development for at least three years and that it will officially debut in early 2017 at the Consumer Electronics Show. Dell has not specified specs, price, nor the release date of the Smart Desk.
Dell’s Smart Desk has existed at least since 2014
Although many have deemed the Smart Desk by Dell a copy of the Surface Studio by Microsoft, the company has been working on the PC for quite some time. What’s more, HP pioneered in the realm of creative desktops back in 2014 with the release of the HP Sprout.
A Dell blog post from nearly two years ago titled ‘The Future of Workplace Productivity: Smart Desks and UltraSharp Monitors’ already provided a hint of what the company was developing.
“By combining interactive LCD touch screens with innovations in user experience in conjunction with participation from key Independent Software Vendor (ISV) partners […], the Dell smart desk will change creative, design, and analysis workflows for the better while introducing a new, immersive way for professionals to interact with those demanding workflows,” the post reads.
The post is dated November 5, 2014, almost exactly two years ago and it features footage that made it to the teaser announcement by Dell at the Adobe MAX 2016 conference on Thursday.
Dell’s Smart Desk Vs. Microsoft Surface Studio
Dell’s Smart Desk is inherently different from Microsoft’s Surface Studio in two aspects: the Smart Desk features two displays instead of one, and it has no other visible peripherals like a keyboard or mouse.
The primary monitor of the Dell Smart Desk will act as a regular computer display, while the second one will be a dedicated LCD touchscreen for creative input only. Apparently, it is designed to lay flat or at an angle similar to the Surface Studio.
The specs, details, features, price, and release date of the Smart Desk remain unknown. Dell gave no official word on the specific functionalities of the dial either. The company will reveal the PC at CES 2017.
Source: Dell