Dell To Put LEDs in All Its Laptops

By Michael Kanellos

They’re going bonkers for LEDs and energy efficiency at Dell (DELL).

The Round Rock, Texas-based PC maker plans to aggressively promote laptops with screens lit with light emitting diodes [LEDs]. Right now, most laptops come with screens lit by cold cathode florescent bulbs: Most manufacturers actually offer LEDs in only a few select models.

A year from now, LEDs will be available across all laptops from Dell in every region in the world, said Michael Murphy, who runs worldwide environmental affairs for Dell. By the end of 2009, 80 percent of the laptops Dell ships will have LED screens. By the end of 2010, Dell will only sell LED-based laptops.

Getting consumers to pick up LED laptops shouldn’t be too tough. Although more costly now, the price delta on these machines is dropping. Five months from now, the price tag on LED and standard laptops will be about the same, Murphy said. Dell’s costs for putting in LEDs will be a little higher, but the delta will begin to become negligible.

At the same time, LED laptops will sport a number of benefits. The screens consume 43 percent less power than conventional screens. While that  helps the environment, it also means battery life will increase. Combining LED screens along with solid state flash drives and energy efficient software can boost battery life on a laptop to six hours or so, said Murphy.

LED notebooks can also be thinner than their cold cathode counterparts. This results in lighter, more stylish laptops. In mass production, it also leads to less shipping and manufacturing. It’s a classic Angelina Jolie play: You get to be fashionable and claim you’re doing something good for the world.

Once the largest PC maker in the world, Dell is now trying to catch back up to the new number one, Hewlett-Packard (HPQ). As part of that effort, it has latched onto the environmental message fairly strongly, which makes sense. Dell is located just outside of Austin, one of centers for greentech in the U.S. (The only sign that you are actually in Texas when you’re at the Dell campus, is one on the door telling you that weapons aren’t permitted in the workplace.)

More importantly, energy efficient technologies have become appealing to IT managers because of high electricity costs. Until 2006, IT managers did not ask server vendors about energy efficiency. Since then, it has been one of the first questions to come up in sales pitches, say people who sell equipment. Green components like LEDs have also become less expensive. Historically, Dell adopts new components when the price delta is almost gone.

Comments

[LT777:]

Nice article. Any LED company/stock recommendations?

2008 Sep 24 03:41 PM

[User 142738:]

I believe the author is referring to "OLED" technology. LEDs are the tiny lights that blink when you're opening or saving files.

2008 Sep 24 03:56 PM

[alexander:]

try checking out Aixtron,global leader in supplying equipment to LED manufactures...based in Germany

2008 Sep 24 04:37 PM

[paul:]

User 142738, I believe the LEDs being referred to here are strictly for back lighting. OLEDs for laptop size screens are still 3-5 years away for economic solutions.

2008 Sep 24 05:53 PM

[User 142738:]

paul: that makes sense. I looked up the cost of OLEDs and I was WAY off!

Also, Cree (“CREE” on NASDAQ), a U.S. company that likes to show off its product in sports arenas.

2008 Sep 24 06:45 PM

[Nick Gogerty:]

Aixtron's position is interesting with its roughly 80% share in MOCVD technology which is the equivalent of the LED easy bake oven. the other portion is mostly supported by VEECO which has a few other bits on the side AFMs etc.

2008 Sep 25 09:07 AM