Vizio, a company long known for its HDTVs, is hoping to make an equally big splash in the PC market. Today in New York, the company finally launched the all-in-one desktops and laptops it announced at CES earlier this year.
In a presentation that included remarks from partners Intel, Microsoft, and Walmart, Vizio CEO and founder William Wang and CTO Matt McRae talked about the current PC landscape, and how there is a dearth of standout design. According to them, the new Vizio systems remedy that with sleek forms, as well as a lack of bloatware and moderate price points.
You can be forgiven for doing a double-take when you first see Vizio's new systems. The 24-inch CA24 and 27-inch CA27 all-in-one desktops bring to mind the aesthetics of the Apple iMac, circa 2002. The base holds the components, and connects to a sleek display by a single chrome hinge.
The Vizio CT14 and CT15 ultrabooks (which the company refers to as Thin + Light) and CN15 laptop share the same minimalist design as the Apple MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models, with a thin profile and light weight.
The CA24 and CA27 both come with a 1,920-by-1,080 (1080p HD) resolution screen (through the CA24's screen is 24 inches, while the CA27's screen measures 27 inches). In a nod to Vizio's expertise in the HDTV arena, the desktops come with a remote control, two HDMI ports, and a separate subwoofer (as part of a 2.1 speaker system). A wireless keyboard and trackpad are also bundled in. Like Apple did with its Mac Mini, Vizio has opted to drop the optical drive in the all-in-one desktops, as well as its laptop PCs.
The two all-in-one desktops can be configured with a dual-core Intel Core i3 or 2.5-GHz Intel Core i5-3210M processor, or quad-core 2.3-GHz Intel Core i7-3610QM CPU. They have both a 1TB hard drive, as well as a 32GB solid-state drive, for faster boot up. Pricing for the CA24 starts at $898, while the CA27 costs $1,098 for the base configuration.
The Vizio ultrabooks come in a 14-inch version (the CT14) and 15.6-inch (CT15) version. Both models sport an anodized aluminum unibody chassis and a ultra-slim profile. They include high-resolution displays (1,400-by-900 max for the CT14 and 1,920-by-1,080 max for the CT15), and feature two USB 3.0 ports, as well as a full-size HDMI port. Both also come with a 256GB solid-state drive (SSD). The price for the ultrabooks start at $898.
Not to be left out is the 15.6-inch Vizio CN15 laptop. Like its ultrabook counterparts, the CN15 comes with an HDMI port and two USB 3.0 ports. It can be configured with up to a quad-core 2.3-GHz Intel Core i7-3610QM CPU, as well as Nvidia GeForce GT 640M LE graphics. The base model sports a 500GB hard drive, while the highest-end configuration has a 1TB hard drive and a 32GB SSD. Pricing for the CN15 starts at $898.
The Vizio systems are available directly on Vizio's website, as well as retailers such as Amazon, Walmart, Costco, Target, Sam's Club, and the Microsoft Store.