Dell's tablet PC pricing raises eyebrows

The $2,499 (1,223) price tag attached to Dell's first tablet PC has created a furore on the company's Direct2Dell blog.

The Latitude XT weighs 1.6kgs and features a 12.1in touchscreen display, which is customisable with either an Intel Core 2 Solo or Duo ULV running at 1.06GHz and 1.2GHz respectively. It can be outfitted with up to 3GB of RAM and a choice of hard disk up to 120GB.

However the most eyebrow-raising feature may be the price which is earning a great deal of criticism on the blog with one poster announcing: "Dell, you've come all this way, after continual delays and disappointments, and you end the race by just shooting yourself in the foot."

While another claims "I don't know who Dell is shooting for with this, but if the discounts aren't huge for businesses, education, and healthcare industries then it'll completely miss the boat on this one."

Dell has yet to confirm a release date, however it has confirmed that it will be taking orders and shipping units in the US by the end of the year.

The Latitude XT is liable to face stiff competition from Toshiba's Portege M700, which was announced on the same day and, while better specified, is also nearly $1,000 cheaper.