Weird, isn’t that the only Dell brand people view as worth having?
As an IT guy, recent (past five years) XPS laptops we gave to execs were pretty bad. Smaller, yes, but I found the Latitudes were better in terms of build quality. It is a small sample size though as most execs preferred MacBooks.
Latitude is superior to the XPS line for business.
And man did they have a bad run of XPS’s there for a while with their batteries swelling up.
I worked in IT and those latitudes were no exception in my experience. Earlier models were good but we had to replace so many e7000 series batteries bulging out the bottom.
They should replace the XPS name with the Longitude. And then the Altitude.
I believe the precision series kind of took over. They are high-end models but not really built for gaming. At this point, the XPS wasn't built for gaming either, so I guess having 2 high-end lines just didn't make sense?
Edit: I should have read the article first! I guess all the names are going away. I don't care for the new names either, but both were pretty bad. The only difference is we got used to what it is now despite how little sense it made.
Some companies prefer Dell as an American held company; for security reasons. Dell's Precision line supports high-end needs such as 3d modeling, theoretical testing for real world applications, statistical analysis of large datasets, etc.
That is where Dell fits. And yes, they have consumer models. I don't care for the latter.
Better headline: Dell kills all brands
Given that Dell has lost most of it's old reputation in the last couple of years, not surprising that radical moves were taken. Trying to navigate Dells product range was a quick way to get a headache.
It seems like the higher ups doesn’t care or even feel like it, they just want to be Apple… first the possibly even worse version of Touchbar and now this^
They're like 20 years too late to start copying Apple here. Apple had their shit together with their product line for a good while after Steve Jobs returned and eliminated the absolute insanity of Apple's mid-90s lineup, which had at least three times more models than any sane person would find useful.
But recently, Apple went off the deep end. Boggles the mind that "Pro Max" ever made it past the brain-mouth barrier in a boardroom, let alone into an official product lineup.
Every company's lineup these days:
Pro > Pro Max > Pro Max Ultra > Pro Max Ultra Black Edition
Agreed. I used to be a hardcore Dell fan, especially for their monitors, but I tried a new model this year and it was such horrible garbage that I had to return it. Their support was nearly non existent.
Weird. I thought XPS was a pretty well known brand.
Stupid higher up decisions, remember HBO?
simplified naming scheme with labels like ‘Pro’ and ‘Max.’
How is that "simplified"? Which one is better, Pro or Max?
Actual simplified naming would probably be names like "Basic", "Business", "Gaming", or numbers like what Intel does with Core 3/5/7/9.
Which one is better, Pro or Max?
Dell Pro Max Plus, obviously.
I suspect, at some level, that the confusing naming is kind of the point.
What's the difference between Pro and Max? If the names were clearer, you probably wouldn't check the website to clear up the confusion.
It nudges potential buyers into interaction with company marketing.
what the fuck?
why kill your best brand?
ohhh...because you outsourced your entire product development teams to "offshore units" and haven't innovated since 2015.
replacing them with three main product lines: Dell (yes, just Dell), Dell Pro, and Dell Pro Max.
PC/Android companies not trying to blatantly rip off Apple challenge: Impossible
AMD now has "Max" chips and Dell now has "Pro" and "Max" laptops.
Everyone copying Apple.
AMD has the worst naming schemes in the industry, I miss the simple old i3, i5, i7… for each generation.
I can't say Intel CPU naming is better though. The i3, i5, i7, i9 is misleading and the full names are even more confusing than AMD's.
Wait, "Dell Pro max" isn't a joke? Or at least not an intentional one?
The newest generation of xps i shit anyways, good riddance.
i was really happy with my 2019ish xps. But the 2024 one is hot garbage. not just that it arrived with the keyboard not working and Dell taking 3 months to replace it. There's a total of 2 usb-c ports on it. That's all the connectors, yes. No, no headphone jack either. And one of those two is taken up with charging, so i'm left with one port if i dont use a dockingstation.
the whole function bar is touch now. you need to hit it 3 times for it to react, who needs Esc anyways. Unless you want to type in the number row, then the function row will pick up random key presses sometimes.
Copilot key no one asked for. Power button is just an unlabelled piece of plastic that looks like filler, not a button. Keyboard sucks in general, too little space between keys, you're bound to mistype.
linux support is ok, though webcam doesn't work in firefox, hibernate doesn't work, every few weeks it'll just freeze. But otherwise acceptable.
definitely my last dell, i really hate it.
[Edit] Oh and I forgot the best part, when the dell repairman finally repaired it after 3 months, he said "oh a new XPS? Yeah, those suck, every customer hates them especially for software development"
In the future, it means we can also expect product names like Dell Pro Max Plus.
oh I can't wait for 2030 to get my new Dell Pro Max Plus Most Biz VIP Tip Top Rizz
The latest XPS laptops really seem like they wanted to copy MacBook Pros from a few years ago with the touch function keys and the barren I/O.
I never really understood the purpose of the XPS line anyway. If you want performance, buy a Precision; if you want a light robust laptop with decent I/O, get a Latitude; if you want a MacBook, get a MacBook.
With that being said the new naming scheme feels like a joke. What's wrong with recognisable model names?
"Dell shoots itself in the foot and will only realise in 3 years"
I'd like people to actually read the article before commenting. They are renaming their laptops. They'll continue producing what would've been XPS.
How prescient Orwell turned out to be.
Premium Pro Max Doubleplus Good.
Yes, I’ll take one Dell Pro Max Premium please. Heck, while we’re it, please make it a Dell Pro Max Premium Ultra Deluxe with Extra Sprinkles.
There are actually people getting paid for this shit
Are they just sitting in a group in multiple meetings to brainstorm new names for stuff?
And I thought just managers are parasites...
Ironically the people getting paid for this shit did come up with better names and they were all overturned by senior management who read a business book over the weekend. SSDD.
Well that sucks. I haven't bought an XPS since the Dell XPS 15z like over a decade ago, but still, the idea that I could buy an XPS Developer Edition laptop and have it be Linux compatible without having to think about it was nice. Now I'm limited to ThinkPads and System76 plus whatever other compatible Clevos there are or maybe a Framework, which I guess is fine since I do own multiple ThinkPads.
Still, really weird decision.
Dear random strangers,
I have bought Thinkpad T for many years following your advice. Then I moved to Dell Latitude 3 years ago as this was your recommendation. So far, very happy with them!
Where should I go for my next laptop? Is it time for framework?
(I'm looking for 14" business laptops, excellent screen, good audio, light and solid, performance is a nice-to-have, Linux-only)
So many corporations have used the words "Pro" and "Max" that they have now become meaningless.
I guess it streamlines the naming a little bit, but it sounds like the mapping of the hardware to the names is still a mess. I've used XPS laptops for years, but had already decided my next would be a Framework. This just reinforces that decision.
I remember the XPS Was "Ubuntu Certified" thats what i think when i first see the Laptop.
Looks like I won't be getting a Dell anytime soon. Shame. I loved my last XPS before they decides to nuke the ports with just two USB-C.
I still remember when XPS was the premiere gaming brand Dell released to compete with the likes of Alienware, only for them to buy Alienware and relegate XPS to a higher budget multimedia catalog.
The names outstayed their welcome, but I cannot applaud them copying Apple's homework.
Land of marketing and advertising, gotta ruin everything. RIP XPS, good little machines.
I always found the build quality for Lenovo Thinkpads to be better than any of the top tier Dell laptops. Most of the laptops I had in circulation were Dells and the always gave me problems. The Thinkpads just worked.
My late-aughts XPS is a gem - milled aluminum, edge-to-edge glass, and the best laptop keyboard ever since Ye Olde Thinkpads. The glory days of chasing Apple with a Windows box and almost getting there. *pours 40*
That said, their QE went to shit, they pulled that bullshit RTO to soft-layoff everyone, laid off everyone else directly, and spent a ton to hire non-US replacements who aren’t up to speed so they can leverage the exciting benefits of AI (lol).
I’ll never understand why they didn’t put huge effort into backing linux when micro$oft started making hardware. Well - I know why they didn’t. Because they make poor managerial decisions. C’est ça.
At least it will be clear which one is high tier and which is the opposite. Precision and latitude are incomparable except one reads their specs. Also, I assume they aren't touching G-series and that's the only one that matters to me:) G15 is just an amazing product.
I mean… Dell Pro Max?
What would you’ve understood if it was Apple Pro Max; a laptop, a desktop, an iPhone or software if not a subscription package?
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