Berlin, June 10 (Reuters): Hewlett-Packard (HP), the world’s biggest computer maker, launched a new generation of touchscreen PCs designed to lift user-friendly computing out of its expensive niche and bring it to a wider market.

The TouchSmart All-in-One allows users to work with photos, music, video, the Internet and television by tapping or swiping the screen, and will be priced at $1,299, HP said at the launch in Berlin today. HP’s personal systems group of PCs, notebooks, workstations and handheld devices has transformed itself over the past few years from a largely commoditised volume business to a far more successful one that emphasises product design.

The group’s executive vice-president, Todd Bradley, said he aimed to set a trend and create a new market. “We don’t think about this as a niche. We think about it as a global product that will inspire demand and drive desirability,” Bradley said. “Our ability to lead is very important,” he added, declining to speculate on what size the market for such PCs might reach.

HP’s announcement came a day after Apple announced a new version of its ground-breaking iPhone, the original version of which brought touchscreens to public attention and sparked a host of imitators. Bradley denied that HP was following Apple, pointing out that HP had been developing touch technology for some time. But analyst Crawford del Prete of research firm IDC said, “I don’t think Apple’s impact can be underestimated.”