Where has the innovation gone in Dell laptops?

April 5, 2011

Posted By:  Lancorp

30 Votes

Status: Implemented

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 As a consultant responsible for dozens of companies supply of PC's and notebook computers, I'm having a harder and harder time finding anything decent at Dell to recommend!

As Dell pares down their brands, getting rid of Studio, and Studio XPS, we're now left with the unappealing and plastic-ey consumer Inspiron brand, and the what-used-to-be-top-of-the-line-but-now-is-ho-hum, XPS.  

Is it just me, or is the new Dell XPS portable line void of that classy, bleeding-edge technology that we used to know and love?  Now, not only are they (IMHO) ugly, but they are now just cookie-cutter systems that really offer nothing that other vendors also have.

What I miss are the "middle brands", the Studio and Studio XPS.  Those were innovative, beautiful, and something that when seen, were wanted!  All glass screens, sleek designs, semi-bleeding-edge technology, and for just a bit more money than the classless consumer Best Buy junk.  

Dell?  Hire some design people.  Listen to those of us that USE computers, that want the latest features, and incorporate those in your products.  YES, an OPTION for Hi-res screens are REQUIRED.  1600x900 is nice on a 14" screen, not a 17.3".  That is not what I want to spend my hard earned money on when I buy an XPS.

If you're going to have a high-end brand like XPS, make it count.  Make people envious to want one.  We're not all teen gamers, so running around with an Alienware design notebook is a bit embarrasing.  Give us power, and package it in a classy, sophisticated design. 

Build it, and they will come.  


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Status Update:  Please see bill_b's comment for further details.  Thanks for posting!

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  • Aug 18, 2011     Comment Link

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    Posted By: bill_b

    @Lancorp Thanks for the idea submission. Our planning and design teams have taken it to heart. In addition to the currently shipping XPS systems, we have rolled out the XPS 15z and updated the mainstream Inspiron line as well. We're pretty proud of the products and hope they fit the bill of the ask here.
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  • May 12, 2011     Comment Link

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    Posted By: Anne_c

    First of all I want to thank you and all the folks who added their comments for taking the time to share thoughtful, constructive feedback to Dell. This forum is very important  in the monitoring the pules around preferred trends with regard to features, design, technology etc.

     

    I think we have a number of factors going on here with respect to the current XPS design (look and feel, more specifically) and product line-up complexity. On the one hand, we have had customer input around reducing complexity in our product portfolio. On the other hand we had feedback around "too much form over function" with the Studio XPS line.

    With Studio XPS, we had a heavier focus on look and feel, and may have missed just a bit on some of the functionality around thermal design and system performance under heavy load. With the current XPS we took great pains to make sure we had a non-Alienware high performance system, per customer feedback,  that was able to dissipate heat efficiently without sacrificing CPU and GPU clock speeds under heavy load. I think any real world tests or synthetic benchmarks you can run on the current XPS's will bear that out. However, there's the "eye test" and the reality is in focusing on delivering outstanding  performance, we had to sacrifice the thinness that many customers prefer.

    Now the good news: This idea has been marked as Under Review for a reason. I think the next gen XPS as previewed here:     http://bit.ly/mLyQcG  and discussed here: http://cnet.co/liEpiY  will get us off the guard rails and into the fast lane, balancing look and feel with uncompromising performance in that high end just below the insane performance of the Alienware line. Stay tuned!

     
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  • May 7, 2011     Comment Link

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    Posted By: retail_guy2009

     Good to hear. 
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  • May 6, 2011     Comment Link

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    Posted By: bill_b

    @Lancorp Thank you for a well written post. 
    @Everyone else Great comments and feedback.

    I have asked for someone from the XPS product development team to have a look at this idea and the comments. We should have someone weighing in shortly.
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  • Apr 28, 2011     Comment Link

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    Posted By: retail_guy2009

     I would love to see the studio XPS make a come back, but add a number pad on the 16" verison and maybe even have a high end 18" verison. (Yes its big, but if you are buying an 18" laptop, then chances are its staying put on your desk) HP has some really nice looking laptops They are thin, sleak and mordern looking.  Even the Envy line is all macbook pro like. We don;t need flower lids and such. We need class. A high end XPS laptop should be well worth the money. Look at the studio XPS. Glossy lid and leather. 

    I'd love to see the opical drive go away and replaced with an extra hard drive or SSD drive (BTO option of course, and perhaps a best buy exclusuve model) Backlet keyboards with the same 3-2-1 dimming option that was on the studio XPS.  Edge to edge glass. RGB- LED, 1920x1080 16:9 screens. "island style" keyboards with number pads. Large trackpad with the buttons bulit right in. USB 3.0, Firewire, HDMI (ditch the VGA port. This is a high end machine) and no bloatware. 

    speaking of no optical drives. If they do have a no opitcal drive, just include the backup and restore files on a USB flash drive

    My grandparents bought my dad a Dell laptop and man that thing was thick. I did not know they went back to 2001 to get it! My current samsung laptop that has almost the same specs is thinner then that. 

    But please Dell, listen to us. We do not want to buy a used model with last years or two year old specs. We want a new model with this years specs.
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  • Apr 25, 2011     Comment Link

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    Posted By: sarangco

     I agree. I have owned Dell laptops since 2000 and am still using a 700m. I bought an ssd to extend the life of the 700m because I didn't see anything in the current lineup that I want to buy. They all either look clunky or have heat/noise/performance issues. I like the look of the Vostro V130/Latitude 13 but haven't taken the plunge. I'm actually considering the MBA refresh coming up in June. The style of the MBA and V130 are a tossup for me, and while I prefer a Windows machine because of work, the battery life/performance/screen resolution advantages in the MBA have me leaning that way.
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  • Apr 15, 2011     Comment Link

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    Posted By:
    Hyncharas

    I do partly agree that the XPS' external shell looks a bit rushed, but the Design Studio stuff is like £30-65 added to the price!

    It would probably be better to just tidy up the physical appearance, or fit illuminated contours around the edges of the laptop to make it more appealing to look at.
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  • Apr 14, 2011     Comment Link

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    Posted By: iamnotjamesh

    I definitely think the Studio and Studio XPS looks a lot better aesthetically than the XPS.  Dell should have maintained the great design and looks, and just improved internals from there.  Not build a new machine with high specs and then hastily through a fat, ugly body on it.  XPS is simply too fat and unattractive, especially at that high price.  Ordinary low-end consumers usually hold appearance as a important factor in purchasing.
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  • Apr 8, 2011     Comment Link

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    Posted By:
    Hyncharas

    Well said.