Dell's supersize 12 inch netbook

The amazing evolution of the netbook is set to continue, with Dell readying a 12 inch version of its popular Inspiron Mini 9.

The Mini 12, as it will be known, sees the direct vendor bypass the 10 inch screen size favoured by Asus and Lenovo (plus a rumoured forthcoming model by HP) and leap straight into a space populated by full-featured subnotes.

The basic netbook specs appear set to remain in place, according to internal product support documents accidentally posted on Dell’s own Web site. We’re looking at 1GB of RAM, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, a 1.3 megapixel webcam and a choice of three cell and six call batteries. Weight is tipped to be around 1.2kg.

Optional WWAN is also listed, and we know from previous chats with Dell that this will use the same 3G HSDPA mini-card as on Dell’s regular notebooks. In Australia that card is currently certified for the Telstra Next G and Vodafone 3G networks. The presence of a 3G card for the Mini 12 could also indicate that the promised 3G upgrade to the Mini 9 is close at hand.

It’s not known if the Mini 12 will retain the SSD of the Mini 9, opt for a 2.5 inch hard drive or offer buyers a choice between the two. This will depend on how much Dell wants to differentiate the 12 inch netbook from its line of 12 inch notebooks, which currently begins at $999 for the Vostro 1200 small business system. (Perhaps tellingly, Dell currently has no 12 inch notebooks in its consumer catalogue where form factors begin at 13.3 inches). Dell may also seek to directly pitch the Mini 12 more at business customers than the current consumer-only Mini 9

Pricing will be crucial to the Mini 12, of course, and Dell knows that better than anyone. The company has long mastered the art of balancing spec sheet, price and per-unit profit. However, the parlous state of the Aussie dollar could drive up the local RRP to a challenging point.

Also noteworthy is that the Mini 12’s spec sheet lists the CPU as being from Intel’s Z series Atom family rather than the N series favoured by almost all netbooks. This is curious because Z series (codenamed Silverthorne) was specifically created for the ultra-small mobile Internet devices (MIDs), with the ‘Diamondville’ N series is intended for netbooks and their desktop equivalents.

So what differences are there between the Z and N processors? Both the Z520 and Z530 appear on the Mini 12 menu, but are almost identical bar their clock speed (1.3GHz for the Z520 and 1.6GHz for the Z530), while the N270 also runs at 1.6GHz. They’ve got the same amount of L2 cache (512Kb), identical front size bus and voltage. Both support hyper-threading, and while the Z520 is slightly cheaper to manufacturers than the N270 (US$40 against US$44) the Z530 costs US$70.

We can spy only two key differences. Firstly, the Z’s maximum power ceiling is 2 watts, compared to 2.5 watts for the N270, so Dell could conceivably be aiming to offset the power drain of the larger screen (and its subsequent effect on a three cell battery) by a more parsimonious processor. Secondly, only the Z series supports virtualisation – perhaps another sign that the Mini 12 will be used to woo corporate IT buyers?

The bigger question is how buyers will react now that netbooks have, at least in terms of screens size, crossed the line into the notebook turf?

Netbooks are slimmer, lighter and cheaper than a notebook, and while less powerful on a benchmark basis they’ve got ample grunt for day-to-day productivity tasks. However they’re no replacement for a conventional PC, as they compromise on disk space and lack key features such as an optical drive.

We predict an interesting if somewhat confusing time ahead for anyone looking to land a go-anywhere portable PC!