Why do Dell Laptops get all of the press?

I've got an old Dell Inspiron 8000. It works fine and has a big display. Dell is never on the cutting edge of innovation. There have been studies that show Dell computers across the board tend to be 20%-30% higher than competitors. Did anybody know that often times you can build 2 identical laptops in both Dell Home and Dell small business but come out with two very different prices. In fact Dell has often times gouged the Home customer while giving discounts to its business customers.

The 40% off coupon Dell offers usually nullifies the price discrepency but not everybody knows of these coupons. I was ready to buy a Dell laptop with my 40% off coupon and then realized that Dell Laptops are not slim and/or particularly attractive. Dell is like the Microsoft of computer builders. Dell is the Lance Armstrong "live strong arm band" of the computer manufactureres. They might as well make a Dell computer armband to wear on opposite wrist. So I didn't buy the Dell laptop. I want thin and light. Not short, fat & stout.

My dream laptop is the IMB T42-3 series, but it's cost prohibitive. After looking at Gateway.com. Gateway has serveral thin and light laptops. Dell doesn't even list the weight of their fatty's with the exception of the 700m. I like the Gateway M360X. Does Gatway offer a 40% off coupon like Dell? Does Gateway have any coupons that show up on the Notebookreview.com coupon finder?

There is not one Gateway laptop on the Notebookreview.com most popular list. Here is one reveiw from PCmagazine.com regarding the Gateway 250x. It amazes me that Gateway which still is a major player in the computer business is often overlooked. Another company that is making big strides is Acer. In the 90's both Acer and Gateway were very well known for making great desktop computers. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1841057,00.asp

I should also acknowledge owning one Dell desktop as well. It still works for cruising through websites. Dell offered a 3 year warranty at home service. The at home service was self repair with a tech on the phone. Dell would mail refurbished parts and instruct the user to contact tech support for further instructions. I learned how to fix and build computers free of charge thank to Dell. I now build my own computers and buy my parts from Newegg.com

 

Gateway doesn't offer a 40% off coupon and probably never will, though I wish they did.

I agree that their systems seem to be a bit mediocre in quality and are overpriced, only the coupons make them even worthwhile to me. Otherwise, I'd stay the heck away from em. I find them ugly and bulky too.

 

I completely agree with you. Does Gateway offer 10-20% off coupons?

Another fine Dell note. Ram is usually 3x what you can buy it online for from online resellers like Newegg.com Gateway usually marks ram up only 50%.

Upgrading the battery of a Dell laptop is $99 compared to Gateway's $30-$60. The same could be said when upgrading the optical DVD drive to a 16x burner, $99 at Dell and $50 at Gatway. A 20% off coupon from Gateway would be equal to a 40% off coupon from Dell based on pricing margins.

 

i've gotta see another laptop from a different company match dell's price after you apply the dell coupon..usually $600, $750, or a percentage off coupon..that's the only reason i got my dell 9300..because if it wasn't for the coupons...the price would be way too high..and i would get a different laptop from a different company altogether ..lol

 

Luck summed it up. Dell is big and strong enough to offer incredible prices and warranties on good computers. Sure, Asus and others can offer better quality on higher-end machines, but they have a tough time competing in the price category.

 

I complain about Dell only because they are the largest computer manufacturer in the United States. They should be on the cutting edge of technology. I did buy my cousin a Dell 9300 with the 40% coupon. I do think the 9300 series is a quality product. The 9300 will be arriving next week. Yes, Dell can be competitive on price. Most of the times they're not. Not many people know about the 40% off coupon.

As far as thin and lite goes, it's a different story. Yes, the 700m is certainly compact and lightweight, but can anybody justify using a 12.1 screen? I want a full size keyboard and a 15.4inch monitor. I would even settle for the standar 15inch as well. But I want the damn thing to be thin. Apple has been making an overpriced powerbook that is 1" thin for 3 years!

I'm just upset that Dell seems to be completely absent from the thin and lite category altogether. The 6000 series does not qualify at 7.5-8.0lbs. I'm not sure how many stones that is for all of the U.K readers. I don't even know how many pounds equals a stone!

One could argue the new Gateway's are a knockoff of th Toshiba line. The Gateway's certainly are but they are considerably thinner and weigh considerably less.

I also like the Acer line of laptops. Acer's are attractive and very competitively priced. I would consider an Acer but don't want to spend an extra $100 for a 9-12 cell battery when I can upgrade on Gateway's site.

Toshiba has a site as well where you can configure a nice laptop, but Toshiba has Dell and IBM prices for their laptops.

When I bought my Dell desktop in 2000, you could shop on the web, call in your order and they would upgrade your ram, hard drive for free. Those were the good old days of Dell. Those have since been long gone.

 

That doesnt make sense. Just because a brand is more common doesn't in any way mean they are leading the way. There are more Hondas out there, yet Mercedes have more interesting features. Dell being the largest computer manufacturer only means that Dell is the largest computer manufacturer. Nothing more.

And i really do think you're getting a bit overboard on this. Whats the big deal. Mass market, consumer-friendly products always get more press than interesting niche products. Theres no reason to be angry over that fact.

 

Honda's are much more reliable than a Mercesdes. Did you know that Mercedes are less reliable than its sister company Chrysler? That pathetic, which means you need what could be a costly extended warranty. As I said in my previous post, I now know how to build computers thanks to Dell and my prodigy like nature. You should have seen the pinheads they sent out to repair my Dell laptop when the pinhead from the local vocational technical institute came to my home to botch the repair job. Not to say that most repair technicians are pinheads. So now I can fix my own laptop as well.

Mercedes are beautiful luxurious pieces of junk, if you value your wallet. If money is no object and image is important, buy a Benz. I was set on buying a new Dell laptop with my 40% off coupon. I then decided that Dell has a big hole in their product lineup when it comes to thin and lite. The 700m would be great if it had a 14" or 15" lcd instead of the 12.1" it now comes with.

The 9300 is a great desktop replacement but is not easily portable. With the 40% the deal is unbeatable for anybody who needs a desktop replacement. Isn't there anybody like me who wants a big screen but thin and lite? I guess I see trends before they happen. Dell is missing out on a big opportunity.

 

My opinion on Dell offering all those coupons to knock so much money off their systems is this: Their stuff is really cheap but they jack up the price and then offer occasional coupons to make them cheaper. Making it seem like you are getting a really expensive high quality machine for dirt cheap bargins when in reality you are getting a cheap machine for cheap if you can find a coupon to use. That's why they get all the hype, most people just buy from the big guys whether or not they are good, it's eye candy and it's playing off of inexperienced computer shoppers. End Rant

 

I'm kicking myself for not anticipating you would focus on the example and completely ignore the point. So forget the analogies and just focus on understanding one thing. Product saturation in no way indicates product innovation.

Hmmm. It just seems odd that a computer prodigy and technology clairvoyant is looking to Dell to solve his vast computer needs.

Anyway, you're acting like people are saying "please, please dell. please refrain from ever making a 17" notebook that weighs under 6lbs." Thats rediculous. If given the choice then of course people will jump on a lighter notebook over a heavier one of similar specs. But Dell has never been a company that was "cutting edge". It has nothing to do with your ability to see into the future. But its got everything to do with Dell being in the business of selling a massive quantities of computers, not innovating them.

Bottom line is that Dell retains customers with prices, not with features.

 

I understood your point. I didn't say that there should be a laptop weighing 6lbs with a 17inch monitor. The 9300 is an excellent desktop replacement for the home. My point is that Dell is missing the boat on thin an lite. They have an offering in the ultra lite, 700m. But nothing in the thin and lite category. This is the category that will be the fastest growing segment in the next 3 years.

I'm not psychic, I'm simply a prodigy. Dell's profits were good this quarter but growth has slowed down for Dell. Considering laptops now out sell desktops. Dell should consider lowering the price for their laptops across the board. This will eliminate the need for 40% off coupons. They also need to copy Gateway, Toshiba and Acer for thin and lite laptop offerings.

I bought a DVD player in 1997 when everyone said DVD was a fad. I was among the first to have one of those along with the home theater geeks. The earliest adopters of DVD technology was the porn industry. DVD does not utilize multi angle camera views as much anymore. However, the porn industry loved this feature boosting DVD player sales by 1,000,0000 units in 1999.

 

dell sells a lot of laptops..yes..that is true..but many people don't know about their coupons on the site..so that is how they still get a lot of money from their laptops..and the only reason dell has 40% off coupons out now and not a few months ago is because they are releasing their new line of machines next year...and feel like selling all that they can before then..because the new line of machines are gonna cost a lott!!!!!!!

 

The 40% off coupons are great. With those I like Dell, but I'm ticked that Washington state residents have to pay sales tax. There's 16 other states that charge sales tax as well.

 

thats not necessarily true. $750/1500 have been around since the middle of last year and there are many people out there who got better 700m deals in oct 2004 than the ones currently in aug 2005. so while it feels like they're just trying to clear inventory, then the pricing really has more to do with Dell experimenting with viral marketing and just being very VERY aggressive on pricing.

Heck, with all the money they saved in firing americans and replacing them with unqualified 3rd world farmers then they can afford to sell this low.


btw. the 700m and 600m are both past due for a replacement sonoma model so i do feel those will be announced before the end of the year. but the 6000 and 9300 will probably stick around for a few more quarters.

 

Isn't the Inspiron 600m Dell's entry in the thin and light category? I think it has a 14" screen, and is slightly heavier than, though just as thin, as the 700m. But I don't think it's as appealing anymore, now that it's been out for a couple of years already. Certainly, I don't hear it being talked about much in the forums anymore.

 

Okay, you've said that enough that I'll bite. What exactly is it you can do that makes you think that you're a "prodigy"?

 

Why do you think so? The unofficially published prices for new Yonah chips expected next year are not much higher than the current Pentiums, and the latest upgrading to Sonoma did not lead to a noticeable price increase. Sure, a notebook is more than just a chip. However, would you please justify your expectation?

I'd expect no more than initial 10-20% price increase for laptops which will go down to the current prices before the end of 2006. What do you think?

 

well somewhere i read that the prices for the new systems are gonna be between $1500 and $3500...lol

 

well, if someone has no idea and just takes the notebook prices from the magazines, he would write the same for the present laptops, right? Imho, it means there is no reason to expect any considerable price increase.

well, i am not a marketing expert or like.

 

i read it in more than 1 place online in a few articles

 

Then bring on the links. If there actually are articles saying the next gen of notebooks would cost from 1500-3500 then its probably a source with zero credibility.

We've already reached a point in the market where price increases won't be tolerated unless it is justified with a drastic change. seriously, what sort of feature would need to be included to cause a the average consumer shopping for a mid-range $1000 notebook to consider investing an extra $1000-2500 more in their purchase? Faster processors, faster bus speeds, or gaming cards is nice but its not going to justify any price increase.

I think its pretty safe to say that notebook prices, regardless of "new features", have reached the sweet spot and will only get cheaper over time. So i'm sure many of us would love to read the articles you found where they say notebook prices will be going up.