Dell offers to pay $1.1 million for laptop deal

Dell Inc. said Thursday it is offering to pay a total of $1 million to a laptop maker to buy it, in a deal that would help keep the company’s computers in the hands of those who want to use them for work.

The deal is the latest in a series of deals Dell has made to keep its computers on the cutting edge of digital technology.

Last year, Dell agreed to pay Microsoft Corp. $1 billion for its Surface laptops.

It also paid $3.1 billion to buy the digital-design company Zune Inc. Last month, Dell bought the design firm Dassault Aviation and the software firm Red Hat for $4.9 billion.

Dell said the deal is aimed at making sure it can offer the best possible digital products to customers.

The company said the arrangement will help it maintain its position as the leader in digital computing.

“Dell is an important partner in the industry as we continue to evolve our portfolio of consumer PCs, notebooks, tablets and desktops,” Dell Chief Executive Meg Whitman said in a statement.

In its announcement, Dell said it has purchased the laptop maker Dassault for $5.9 million, which will allow it to focus on products that cater to both business and consumer customers.

A Dassault spokesperson said in an e-mail that the agreement was made “at the request of Dell and will be fully operational within the next year.”

Dells chief executive said the purchase of the company was a way to continue building on Dell’s leadership in digital-devices technology.

“We continue to invest in the technologies and services that will make it easier for our customers to access our world-class digital content,” he said.

At the same time, the deal would allow Dell to focus its digital offerings on the most profitable markets, Whitman said.

“Our aim is to create a digital ecosystem that is as valuable to our customers as it is to Dell’s,” she said.