Dell introduces Inspiron 15z, an Ultrabook with optional touchscreen

Inspiron 15z
Inspired with the touchscreen?

While the industry is abuzz about Apple's new iMac, 13-inch Retina display MacBook Pro,

fourth-gen iPad

and

iPad mini

, there's the tiny matter of

Windows 8

still launching on Friday of this week.

In advance of Microsoft's new OS launch, Dell revealed Tuesday the new Inspiron 15z Ultrabook, a powerful machine that comes in four variations.

The successor to 2011's Inspiron 14z, some versions of the new Inspiron 15z Ultrabook seem fairly standard, however an optional touchscreen provides it that W8 wow factor.

Ultrabooks for ultra cheap

The base model Inspiron 15z Ultrabook starts at $749.99 (UK£470, AU$731), and includes a 1.4Ghz Core i3 processor and 6GB RAM, as well as an Intel HD Graphics 4000 card.

All of the non-touch models include a 15.6-inch HD WLED display, a DVD writer and a 500GB hard drive with a 32GB SSD.

The top of the line model retails for $999.99 (UK£627, AU$975), and comes with an improved Nvidia GeForce GT630M 2G graphics card, 1.9GHz Core i3 processor and 8GB RAM.

Both the mid-range models includes a 1.7GHz Core i3 processor with 6GB RAM and Intel HD Graphics 4000 cards.

One variant comes with the standard 15.6-inch screen, and will retail for $799.99 (UK£502, AU$779), while the other will come with a touchscreen, and will cost $899.99 (UK£565, AU$877).

All of the variations are available for pre-order now, but the touchscreen model won't get released in the wild until Dec. 17, while the other models are expected to ship between Oct. 29 and Oct. 31.

The Inspiron 15z Ultrabooks are priced far below the Dell XPS Duo 12, but only time will tell if touchscreen convertibles or more standard laptops are more amenable for the Windows 8 crowd.

Via Dell