Posts Tagged: adamo

Naming / Strategy / Technology — 9 Comments
10
Dec 09

Serial proliferator strikes again

You just might find your ideal laptop at Dell

You just might find your ideal laptop at Dell

Just when I was ready to give Dell a rest, comes another irresistible press release. Hey, I’m only human.

This week Dell announced the new, “ultra-portable” Vostro V13 laptop. It will fit well alongside the ultra-portable Adamo, the ultra-portable Latitude Z, the ultra-portable XPS M1330 and a few other ultras that no doubt lurk below the surface at Dell.com.

Again, nothing wrong with choice. There’s something terribly wrong with a product lineup so confusing that customers spend their time pondering instead of buying.

Is this more of an industry thing than a Dell thing? Nope. See how many models pop up on the first results page when you Google “[brand] thin laptop”: Dell 5, HP 2, Acer and Apple 1 each. (Note that HP and Acer both outsell Dell.)

Imagine if you’re a customer going to Dell.com with money burning a hole in your pocket. Enter “thin computer” into the home page search field. You get 26 models spread over six pages of results. Including two models from Wyse, whoever that is.

For personal attention, I started a live chat with a Dell rep. I said I wanted a thin laptop but was a little confused by the models. “Let me solve your confusion,” the rep confidently replied. With very little info about my needs, he recommended Inspiron. When I asked about Latitude, he explained, “Latitude is for business, Inspiron is for home.” Hmm, I’d use it for both. So what’s XPS, I asked. “That’s for higher performance.” Oh. I wanted that too. Somehow, the final recommendation was Adamo. If they can’t create a coherent product line, you’d hope they could at least create a coherent story.

Okay, I’m finished now. Until Dell taunts me with another of their provocative news releases.

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Technology — 12 Comments
30
Oct 09

Dell’s quest for cool

Lap to Adamo, lap to Adamo: Ouch

Lap to Adamo, lap to Adamo: Ouch!

Dell is a company that really wants to be edgy. Witness the design of the ultra-thin Adamo XPS.

Unfortunately, Dell is also a company that easily gets lost in the pursuit of edgy. Witness the design of the ultra-thin Adamo XPS.

So far they’ve only hinted at a release date. But when it arrives, Adamo XPS will arguably be the world’s thinnest computer. It will also be the first laptop that dares you to use it on your lap. Its ingenious hinge design lifts the keyboard up to an ideal typing angle when opened — and seems to point its armor-piercing screen base directly into your knees.

Hmm. Maybe there’s a reason no one’s dared to do this before.

Dell has also revealed that the Adamo XPS comes with a revolutionary electronic latch. To unlock it, you simply slide a finger across the heat-sensingadamo5 lock, which then sexily illuminates and invites you inside. Of course, since its latch is electronic, the Adamo XPS can’t be opened at all if the battery runs out of juice, even if you just want to take a peek at the stickie you left inside. (Ultra-thin crowbar available separately.)

Thoughtful design is what people fall in love with. As Dell and others inevitably discover, that’s the kind of design that doesn’t come easy.

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