Vizio to begin manufacturing notebooks and PCs

Vizio has been widely known for their budget high-definition TVs, but the company now appears to be expanding their horizons to other ventures. And in a time where many companies aren't doing too well in the PC business, Vizio has now decided to join the fray with their new line of Windows computers.

Vizio first teased their new devices in an ad that aired during the Rose Bowl (video embedded below) and the company’s chief technology officer, Matt McRae, officially announced the move in an interview with the Financial Times. In the interview, McRae revealed that Vizio will be launching a pair of Windows 7 all-in-one PCs along with three notebooks and stated that the devices “will definitely have that Vizio value equation, where the amount of features you are going to get for a certain price point will be outstanding”.

As for the actual details of the devices, not much is known at the time being; however, the all-in-ones are expected to come in at 24” and 27” and have apparently been in development for two years. In addition, the company will reveal a pair of 14 inch and 15.6 inch “thin and light” notebooks that will supposedly exceed Ultrabook specifications. Vizio is also planning another 15.6” notebook that will offer “extreme portable performance”, but outside of releasing some press photos not much else has been unveiled about any of the computers.

Though Vizio’s entry into the PC market comes as a big surprise to most analysts, the company believes that their practices will enable them to thrive in the tight PC game and McRae commented by stating:

“We’ve built a business model and strategy to identify markets that have matured and have slowed and then turn them upside down. We are uniquely advantaged in attacking stale markets that have sleepy giants that are not moving the ball forward much.”

Of course, only time will tell whether the TV manufacturer has what it takes to challenge the top PC manufacturers, but with an official unveiling expected when CES 2012 takes off on Tuesday, it shouldn’t be too long till we get more details about the devices.

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