Intel is officially launching the Classmate PC 3 reference design today at CES (although this isn’t exactly the first time we’ve seen it). The Classmate 3 is a touchscreen tablet style PC with a ruggedized design to stand up to the beating it may take at the hands of students. 

As mentioned, CTL will be bringing the Classmate 3 to market in the US, but Intel says it has already partnered with 8 companies who will be selling the computers in countries including the US, UK, Australia, France, and Chile. 

The Classmate 3 will co-exist with the older Classmate 2 design, which provides a higher level of ruggedization, but no touchscreen. The Classmate 2 devices will likely continue to sell for about $100 less than the Classmate 3-based devices like the new CTL 2Go PC.