***-->The Official Dell Adamo Thread<--***

Trust me it's not just you, Dell had the chance to beat the MBA at it's own game with this, but shot itself in the foot with overly ambitious pricing. It's as if they don't realize that we are in a recession?!? Perhaps they could have made an entry level model with a traditional hard drive so they could have priced it below MBA. That's what they should have done.

Lot's of folks were expecting this product to have the traditional value proposition that Dell pc's have always offered against Apple computers. You'd have to think long and hard, especially now, to justify buying an Adamo over the MBA, esp. since the MBA has what appears to be better specs system performance wise on paper.

The MBA also has something that no matter what the specs, the Dell doesn't. That's brand " cachet." Sure, the Adamo is designed to bring some of that to the Dell brand, but as of right now the average Joe who happens to be in the market for an Ultraportable most likely sees the Apple brand as a prestige product, something instantly recognizable that will impress others around them when they bring it out in a meeting or at the Starbucks, etc.

The Dell name just doesn't carry " that" level of weight, and while many people probably would overlook that if the Adamo undercut the base MBA by a few hundred bucks, now that it's more than the MBA people will think "Why bother with the Dell, when I can get the Apple, the original?"

 

@booboo12

Agreed.

 

Haha, yeah but I am not sure it will drop that much quickly.

 

Good points BB!

Haha...you just never know!


McCin'

 

I don't care what brand name is,

But for over $2600(1.4ghz) we are getting a "non-ultra portable" with 4 lbs , about 20% more weight than MBA, 16% more weight than x301 with dvd drive

What are adamo's design team thinking?

Advantage:
Looks better than others, (13 in notebook)
Disadvantage
super heavy, can't consider as ultraportable.
With such a big weight notebook, don't even carry a dvd drive .(like x301/x300, sony Z, they both have dvd drive)
The CPU is slower than MBA and MBA hsa 9400 G graphic card
3 hours battery lifes? oh, my gob ( with wirelss)
The price is too much!

 

I think that laptop is design for one thing only, steal all sales from the voodoopc envy 133, same size give or take, cheaper with better gfx, cpu, ssd and ram. and look wise imo better. its not meant to be mainstream, for that they have xps range, and for "budget" you have the inspiron series. anyways, the spec is way too weak for a IT software professional, imagine running any form of Databases of any commercial scale off that weak processor, I know I have!

 

From what I see the Adamo competes more with the MacBook than the MBA. I can buy a 13" Aluminum MacBook for $1200, with better specs minus an SSD.

 

Its a lot thinner at .65in compared to 0.76in of the Air. Thats the only thing going for it really....

 

This laptop reminds me "I am rich" application for iPhone
It does nothing special, except showing that you have a lot of money and that you don't know where to spend this money.

 

I keep thinking that with each new release that Dell will *get it right*..I mean could've got it right with this one, and they didn't.

The design team...they really need to bring in a Consumer targeted audience for feedback..obviously...for a marketing standpoint. And, take the consumer feedback and really *listen*.


McCin'

 

I was hoping that Dell would do better with the Adamo but this is a complete letdown. My Macbook Air seems dirt cheap in comparison to this overpriced, underspecced machine. And that's saying a lot considering that before the Adamo, the Air was the poster child for overpriced, underspecced machines!

 

WOW!
Well there they go and do it again! LOL

Im afraid all this waiting might have been in vain as the specs are a lot worse than i had anticipated. I thought they would at least match the MBA, considering they are bringing out a 'new' product.

I know this is considered a premium product from Dell but they really have to undercut the competitors price or at least match the specs of similar machines. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad had they brought it to market quickly but OH NO they had to have an extremely lavish campaign to 'hype up' the Adamo. I think that was a bad move because people started to really believe this would be something extra special only to be very much let down by the specs upon release. They led us to believe it would be incredible!

Then again it is an extremely beautiful product and will certainly draw crowds should you have one in your posession but unfortunately it doesnt seem they have the brains to match the beauty in this one. Looks like they are trying to play Apple at their own game but not getting it quite right.

I would still love to be able to afford one though HAHA!
Very desirable indeed.

Lets just hope that subsequent Adamo products remedy this situation and that they can find a way of offering better specs with this ultra-thin laptop.

Adrian

 

All these whiners complaining about the price and performance. Does a Gucci bag have 10x the "performance" of a WalMart bag?

Thats not the point, and, if you are complaining about the price, then youre obviously not the target market. Have you seen the ads and promo.. do you see them listing specs, CPU specs, FSB speeds, etc.. no, you see models and hear nu-jazz.

 

Your analogy is flawed; Dell is the lower cost competitor but their prices are higher. It would be more like Wal Mart charging more than Gucci.

 

Because the Adamo 13 is exactly like their other low cost models, right? Or maybe they are positioning their Adamo line to be a new tier? Or, maybe only some brands are allowed to make premium products.. but not Dell?

 

hear hear. imo the m1330 was a highpoint and the subsequent models have just been style over substance without addressing the flaws that mattered on the m1330.

 

The fact is, apple like LV, dell like walmart.

I don't care what brand name is, but serious , if you are paying more for a walmart bag than LV bag, but the overall design is worser than LV bag

Who is going to take this? unless you are really rich and don't know how to spend money

 

Does a Corvette cost more than a Ferrari? You can have premium brands but you obviously can't demand higher prices for an inferior product. The Adamo is a great notebook, just not worth 2 grand.

 

You know, once upon a time, Toyota was known for cheap econo cars.. now their Lexus brand commands the luxury market in North America.. while they are still selling their mainstream brand/models.

Its much easier to go upmarket than it is to go downmarket.. just take a look at the MacMini.

 

Sad but true. I agree with others, I was too, shocked with the price.

 

You're lucky they didn't release one in red. You would be ordering one right now, despite the low specs & high prices.

Last night I said I would be willing to pay $1,999, but that was before the specs were announced today and reality kicked in. Now, unlike with Apple I expect a price drop ($500 would be nice), probably in the first few months. Maybe then, I may consider it, unless I get a Z before that happens. I still have to admit it looks sexy hot and the packaging is cool, it takes iPod "display packaging" to the notebook level.

 

Well... Now I see that i've made the right choice by choosing VAIO Z over Adamo or MBA.

 

Yeah, I'm thinking of going that way, too, though I sort of want to hold out until Intel's new ULV and Penryn processors come out this year. That is, assuming my dying ThinkPad doesn't kick the bucket first.

 

Eyup! I remember when I was choosing bet. the 1330 & the 1530..What a decision. Ultimately, I went with the 1530 for other reasons at that time.

Dell had better wise up on the pricing on this, and quickly!

Agreed, agreed, and agreed...

Ha~! NOPE. Even if they released in RED I would not spend $2K on something with low specs at that price. I know how to manage my money pretty well. They need to come down at least $600 on this!


McCin'

 

All I gotta say is: dell's on crack.
Can't wait to see an update to the M1330.. they really started the thin trend with THAT notebook I think.

 

When the dell sxps's came out they both were $1199 @dell.com.
A few weeks after the sxps's realease date dell lowerd the price of the sxps to $1099 and bestbuy got the sxps's in and were/are selling them for $999.

So guys just be patient Dell will possibly lower the price and maybe bestbuy will get them in stock and lower the price.

 

ROFL + 1 on that! LOL....I think so...perhaps they've had to much *mirror checks*

Oh I hope...I really hope. And, I would hope that somone from Dell is seeing all this and really *listening* to their own Customer feedback.

McCin'

 

Here are a few screen shots for those interested in the base Adamo specs ....

 

Sorry I still think my point stands.
Sure it is basically a fashion accesory but i think they hyped it up too much and as a result everyone expected it to be better than the MBA/other competitors, by undercutting the price, and by having at least the same specs (in classic dell fashion). Just this time we expected it to be the sexiest thing out there (which i think it actually is lol!)

I know people will buy this thing and I'm most certainly not the target market audience anymore, but a lot of people will be asking themselves whether they are willing to pay such a high premium for this product when the competitors have more performance to offer.

 

That's not the point at all, for me anyway. I must admit that I have no patience for those whiners coming in here to complain about the price of some great laptop or other. If you can't afford it, then that's your personal problem, and nobody else gives a fig. Should have gotten yourself a better education and a decent-paying job, perhaps. I don't complain about not being able to afford that nice Lamborghini, either. It's not Lamborghini's fault I can't afford one...

On the other hand, the actual problem with the Adamo is that, once you take away the pretty face, all you have is a really, really lame laptop. It's like selling that Lamborghini with a 2l-four-cylinder engine... I happen to use my laptops as tools for work, not as fashion accessories, and I need and expect them to perform. There is some room for compromise when it comes to portability, but even a small-footprint laptop needs to give me acceptable performance for some crucial applications I need. The Adamo doesn't do that, so I wouldn't buy it even if it were half the price it is. So, rather than getting that four-cylinder "Lamborghini", I'd rather get myself a BMW, say...

 

Good for you! And, thank goodness were all entitled to our own opinion, now!

I just wonder, and will continue to...was there any test marketing done on these?


Cin.

 

Way to completely miss the point. It has nothing to do with whether or not I can afford it, but it has everything to do with the fact that this notebook is not worth $2000. If you want to overpay for this product good for you.

 

Congratulations Dell. You've made the MacBooks look like absolute bargains.



To say I'm disappointed is an understatement.

 

It's basically an experiment by Dell that may be too late. You can't blame Dell for trying and they may learn quickly to upgrade the components. They usually do that faster than Apple. If they do tap effectively into the "style over substance" market, some of us will shake our heads, and some of us who can afford it will order it, maybe once theyve upgraded the specs. How many people here have criticized a new model only to purchase it a few months later when some improvements/upgrades/price reductions occurred? In other words, let's wait & see what happens.

 

Engadget is reporting that there may be an Adamo 9 forthcoming.

 

This is a great start for the Adamo. It looks great but has room for lots of improvement. They will most likely sell a ton of these. On the upside they will most likely make the Adamo 2 right. They just needed to get the form factor out and then from there they can perfect from there. If it had a higher res LCD and a few HD options, I would get one now.

 

Kinda jumping in on the conversation here...but I think most will agree that its not about whether its affordable or not but whether its "Reasonable" or not...a Lamborghini may be reasonably priced...but a Toyota yaris posing as a lamborghini priced similarly is not a lambhorghini under the hood. And we can't judge people and label them as "whiners" for showing just and fair outrage to companies taking their target market for bunch of schmucks!

I don't see anything "great" about the adamo just yet...its barely meeting the standards already in the market given the specs and the pricing....I stress...given the pricing!!!! Its good...but not great by any stretch.

 

+1

I'm willing to buy the MBA at the same price point...just cuz its specd higher.

 

16:9 screen on a square laptop like that? what are they smoking?

 

If you look at pics of it open you can see the large black bar at the bottom, looks odd but hardly takes away from the beauty of the laptop.

 

Hmm, I'd say we have a case of either limited reading comprehension, or short attention span here. You may want to read my second paragraph. This was my point exactly.

I don't.

 

You were complaining about the whiners and then make the same exact arguement they are making, schizophrenic much?

 

I've been trying to find out the upgradability of this laptop. It looks as though the battery cannot be easily replaced. But what about the hard-drive (in case you need more room in the future) and memory (I would really like 3-4gb, but don't see it being worth it to pay $700 more for a minimal processor upgrade, a ram upgrade, and a 3g card that I won't really be using).

So can this thing be user upgraded? I thought I saw someone say it can't but I would like a confirmation. 2gb on vista seems like it would be pushing it, but maybe others think otherwise.

Edit: Just talked to a dell agent and they said it is not upgradable (hdd and ram). Again its an agent so take it with a grain of salt, but I'm still dissappointed that you can't up the ram without spending 700 bucks more.

 

Ah, so lack of reading comprehension it is. No point in responding, then.

 

So much wasted space.

DO NOT WANT

 

I have a feeling the hard drive isn't upgradable. I have a dell mini 12 and it has a normal samsung 1.8" hard drive but some odd ribbon cable connection. And there is not adapter on either end
I wonder how dell is going to make ram proprietary

 

I'd imagine its not propiretary, its just not as easy as popping open a ram slot like on 99% of computers out there. They probably stuffed it somewhere inaccessable to save on space.

 

*sigh* So is it safe to say no one in this thread is getting one? Its interesting cuz everyone in this thread was really excited for an Air killer of sorts....

 

That's correct; unfortunately, it turns out that the Adamo isn't it (the "Air killer of sorts"). It's a fairly lame me-too product, pretty design on the outside, nothing much inside. Definitely not worth my money.

 

Nope, not a good laptop when you factor in the price to specification ratio. Actually would probably rate as poor in this respect. The MacBook line kills what Dell is currently offering with the Adamo, which really says something.