Dell on July 16 unveiled the Latitude 12 Rugged Extreme, a 12-inch ruggedized 2-in-1 convertible, and Latitude 14 Rugged Extreme, a 14-inch ruggedized notebook, for launch in the Taiwan market.

Dell has launched semi-ruggedized notebooks in the Taiwan market over the past 3-5 years and has moved a further step to launch ruggedized models, Dell Taiwan general manager Terence Liao said. The Latitude 12 and 14 Rugged Extreme conform to various military-grade requirements including resistance to falls, rain water, dust, sand and shock, Liao indicated.

In terms of target customers, military units are in the first priority and then police and fire-fighting units, as well as companies in industries in hard working environments such as construction and energy, Liao said.

Japan-based Panasonic has the largest global market share for ruggedized notebooks and tablets currently, Dell and Taiwan-based Getac Technology rank either second or third. However, Dell aims to become the largest vendor, according to company Rugged Product manager Umang Patel.