Vostro Refresh?

Dell's has been very quiet on their successful line of business laptops. Is there any news or rumors on yet to be released Vostro's? I would like to see something new other than the A860, 1510/2510, and 1710.

 

The original Vostro lineup was tied directlly to the Inspiron consumer models- just solid black versions of them. The Vostro 1000 was based on the Inspiron 1501, Vostro 1400 on the Inspiron 1420, Vostro 1500 on the Inspiron 1520 and Vostro 1700 on the Inspiron 1720.

Those models were replaced with the Vostro 1310 (Inspiron 13 sibling), Vostro 1510/2510 (share much architecture with the Inspiron 1525) and the Vostro 1710 (still based loosely on the Inspiron 1720, which was dropped last summer). These models are build on the old Intel GM965/PM965 chipsets with Intel X3100 and nVIDIA 8400/8600 graphics, so they're bound for an update soon.

The Inspiron line is slowly but surely making the transition to the new Intel platform (1545 so far) 1525 dropped, 1420 is on clearance and the 13 is also deeply discounted...more new Inspirons will appear and Vostros won't be far behind!

 

Thanks !

 

I know this is hard to answer, but traditionally speaking, when has Dell usually released their refreshes? In the past, have they gone for the back-to-school season (May-August) or waited for the holiday season (Nov-Jan) or is it just completely random?

 

There truly is NO rhyme or reason, to be totally honest. Even when new hardware is introduced, Dell often takes longer than any of the other major companies to roll it out.

For example- the Dell Studio 15/17 were introduced less than a month before Intel released the Montevina platform. It took Dell 3-4 months to update those two models to the new hardware.

The current Intel platform has now been available for about eight months. HP, Toshiba, Lenovo and all the other main players have transitioned all their products to the new hardware MONTHS ago. Dell finally introduced the first Inspiron with the updated hardware (1545) about two months ago. The Inspiron 13 is still based on the old platform...as are all the Vostro models.

So....it is truly random. The Latitude and Precision business models were released a few weeks after the Intel update last August. They'll likely continue unchanged until the next BIG Intel update toward the end of this year.

The Studio XPS models are the newest consumer models and are doing quite well. The Studio 15 has a replacement already offered in some markets- the Studio 1555, making the move from 15.4" 16:10 to 15.6" 16:9.

The only updates/intros likely for the next six months or so are the Inspiron and Vostro models...

 

I see. Thank you for your reply. That kinda sucks about Dell. I've been waiting for an updated Inspiron 13 (or really any 13" laptop) for awhile now. I know I can get it for cheap now, but honestly, I'd rather just get something that's currently up-to-date b/c I need any new laptop to last me for the next couple of years. Hopefully these big sales lately and lower prices indicate some sort of "stock clearing" so that Dell can open up space to release some new updated [13"] laptops.

 

The Dell Studio XPS 13 is worth a look, if you haven't already. It starts at $1099 on the Dell website, but Best Buy has it for $899- LINK. It's only a few months old, but it hasn't had any major issues that I've heard about.

The Dell Latitude E4300 could also work for you. It is pricey new (starts at $1349) - LINK. But the Dell Outlet has them starting around $759- LINK. The refurbished ones from the Outlet have the same standard 3-year warranty as the new ones! They're a great deal, in my opinion.

 

I've looked at the SXPS13, but after reading all the threads here complaining about all of its problems (among them, I hear the screen covers one of the vents, which just seems like such an obvious design flaw that should've been caught ), I'd rather stay away from it. Plus, although it's not the be all and end all, I honestly just don't like its design. The leather covering just screams of faux-luxury to me (I mean really, leather on a laptop?) and the sorta 2-toned lid just doesn't look right to me.

As for the e4300, it seems nice, and the refurbished price is attractive, but I've read mixed reviews about them. I don't know, it just seems like far less people prefer it compared to its slightly bigger brother the e6400 (which being a 14" laptop, I'm a bit skeptical about its portability given all the other stuff I tend to carry around with me all the time).

Honestly, if they could just refresh the Inspiron13 (or Vostro 13" inch) w/ like a P processor and GMA 4500 and LED-backlighting, I'd be happy b/c I actually like its design, and haven't had any real problems w/ Dells either *knock on wood*

 

LAPTOP Magazine really seemed to like the E4300- LINK

My fear is whether there will be a direct successor to the Inspiron 13??? Or will Dell roll out a netbook-ish replacement....or even try to market the Mini 12 in its place?

I know it's old tech like the Inspiron 13, but the Vostro 1310 is still a very high-value laptop. Right now, all models have the Vista Biz/XP Pro downgrade for FREE and the warranty upgrades are so much cheaper than on the consumer models ($40 for 2yrs or $80 for 3yrs). For $75 you can add the nVIDIA 8400M GS, too....just a thought. But you probably already know all of that.

I actually have a FANTASTIC 13.3" system to recommend, but it's not a Dell! The Lenovo IdeaPad U330...it has the 2.0GHz Intel P7350, 13.3" WXGA (1280x800) LED display, Intel 4500/ATI 3450 user-switchable graphics, uses DDR3 memory and it looks very tasteful and understated. Magnesium-alloy construction and a ThinkPad-like keyboard are nice selling points, too. Amazon has it for $879- LINK

In all honesty, if I was in the market for a 13.3" laptop- I'd have a tough time deciding between the U330 and E4300...but the U330's price and additional features would likely make it my top pick!

 

Thanks for the link about the e4300. I'll have to give that a gander.

I'm also a bit concerned about whether Dell will actually have a successor to the Inspiron13 or whether they'll just phase it out due to their other models. I still have until July at the latest before I need to get a new laptop (unfortunately I have to use Vista) so I can wait some, and hopefully Dell will crank out a refresh by then.

As for Lenovo, I know they come highly recommended here, but none of the brick&mortar stores around me ever seem to have any, and I'm a bit averse to buying a brand that I'm personally not familiar with online without seeing it first in person. Plus, it seems like most Lenovo's tend to have their fans blowing out air thru the vents at all times (accounting for their coolness), and to be honest, as quiet as people claim the fans are, I'm still pretty sensitive to them. I had to return a Sony Vaio Z b/c the fan was unbearably noisy in comparison to my old laptop which only started the fan when it needed to.