Electronista on Tuesday had an opportunity to listen to Dell executives on camera following the PC maker's Latitude introduction that reveals the company's approach to targeting systems such as the MacBook Air. The firm says it isn't worried about the competition from Apple, Lenovo, or other rivals as the Latitude "brackets" these systems; the E4200 is smaller and lighter than the Air through its use of an ultra-low voltage Core 2 Duo processor, while the 13.3-inch E4300 uses a full-power Core 2 Duo and has an optical drive bay absent on these competitors.

The difference gives Dell a clock speed advantage versus Apple, Lenovo, and others which have to use low-power parts to reach their dimensions, according to Dell.

The executives also feel that Dell hasn't had to sacrifice features to reach its targets, including options for a removable extended-life battery, the ability to dock the system and use multiple external displays, eSATA interfaces for outside storage, and an Ethernet jack for Internet access in hotels or other locations that don't have Wi-Fi access.

There also isn't the compromise in security or IT friendliness that often comes with more "consumer-oriented" notebooks infiltrating the workplace, the company says.

Dell further rebuffs notions that it may lose out against the more stylized systems from Apple or HP's Voodoo PC offerings, asserting that its design elements will appeal to customers who want a stylized system they can still use at work.

"These are nice-looking products," says a Dell spokesman.