China's Huawei takes aim at Apple with first laptop line

Chinese telecoms giant Huawei said on Tuesday it planned a global expansion into computers, posing a fresh challenge to established PC players in a market that has suffered two years of falling sales volumes. At a news conference in Berlin, Huawei introduced its first line-up of three personal computer models, including a 15.6-inch screen notebook, a 2-in-1 tablet and notebook hybrid and an ultra slim, metallic 13-inch notebook. Initially, the new entrant is targeting the premium-priced consumer market, pitting it against Lenovo, HP and Dell, which collectively hold more than 50 percent of the PC market, and possibly even Apple's shrinking Mac computer business. China's Huawei launches its first laptop line and takes aim at Apple Lenovo, HP and Dell: The Matebook X is a fanless notebook with splash-proof screen and combined fingerprint sign-on and power button Huawei's Matebook X is a fanless notebook with splash-proof screen and combined fingerprint sign-on and power button, priced between $1,570-$1,900, although no Us pricing has yet been revealed. Its Matebook E 2-in-1 hybrid will run around $1099 while the Matebook D with 15.6-inch display is expected to be priced at around $899. Overall, PC market sales volumes dropped 8.3 percent in 2015 and a further 3.7 percent in 2016, according to research firm Gartner, which has predicted a flat outcome this year and increasing market consolidation through 2020.