Dell plans to sell its first convertible tablet PC later this year. The PC maker revealed that it is working on the machine and showed a prototype of it on a company blog.

The tablet PC will be targeted at the education, health care and corporate markets. Tablet PCs still only account for a fraction of the portable PC market, but growth in the sector is expected to outperform the overall market over the next few years, according to IDC. Shipments of convertible tablet PCs like that planned by Dell are expected to total 1.5 million units this year, IDC said in a December 2006 report.