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Apple Ceases to have Design Edge
- Thread starter Digital Skunk
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Take a look at http://www.gotapex.com they provide some good informationon coupons and discounts codes for hp's and a lot of other products.
Online I also took a look at Dell's current offerings for a highend laptop. i wasn't impressed at all. I was in fact a little stunned on how poor their lineup appeared. HP has Dell beat by a mile (IMHOOC).
HP will come with more bells and whistles for sure.
Sony will cost more for their GUI.
Dell is the blandest of the 3, no doubt in that. The reason I like dell is you can strip any OEM GUI off and run a generic windows load and not loose a thing.
HP and Sony its possible but I have always had hardware functionality issues.
Dell is transitioning to their new lineup. They do a horrible job during these transitions. almost as if they turn on and off the new and old webpages.
When I saw the MBP in person I was EXTREMELY impressed, to say the least.
If you really want a great machine Dell's business lines are very nice but it will cost 20% to 30% more than their consumer lines, but they are very nice.
Except besides giving guidelines for what they want for their batteries apple doesnt REALLY devote that much into their batteries. That video for the 17" may give that impression, but they are really only giving the battery manufacturer the rules.
Sony's hardware has become fairly styish over the past couple of years perhaps due to competition? Unfortunately the same can't be said for their quality, cause in recent years it's diminished. Perhaps this is all due to cost cutting and weight shredding?
Many of their newer notebooks are assembled not with screws or cleaver clips embedded in the clamshell, but industrial strength double sided tape!! It's great if you're using the device in cool climates and you never dismantle the device!! Cause if any of you's, are like me, you'd be in trouble!
Sony's hardware has become fairly styish over the past couple of years perhaps due to competition? Unfortunately the same can't be said for their quality, cause in recent years it's diminished. Perhaps this is all due to cost cutting and weight shredding?
Many of their newer notebooks are assembled not with screws or cleaver clips embedded in the clamshell, but industrial strength double sided tape!! It's great if you're using the device in cool climates and you never dismantle the device!! Cause if any of you's, are like me, you'd be in trouble!
wasn't aware of that. good info, thanks
What's next... cardboard motherboards? Didn't know that about Sony either. However, when I was a kid I made a gokart (the roll down a hill kind). I had no nails so I used old cloth electrical tape (had over 100 old rolls of it in our basement) to hold down the axles and the same tape in place of cotterpins to keep the baby carriage wheels on the axles. Worked pretty good.
You know about the heat effecting the tape... I'm wondering now... even here in the North it can get pretty hot inside the laptop when it is turned on and running... that hot - cold (when turned off) - hot cycling should have an effect over time on that tape inside of the Sony.
Now I used to live in the Panama Canal Zone (back when it was called the US Canal Zone) and you should see what the heat and the extreme humidity used to do to electronic components and batteries.
Thanks for this website pointer... it looks like a good one so I bookmarked it.
Shouldn't the Patriots be on now?
I can attest to the dell XPS1530. It runs very cool. the Dell XPS1730 is a monster that doesn't run cool at all but daham what a machine that is.
Lived in St Mary's Georgia for years. yeah humidity can play havoc on electronic goods.
Depending on the tape they use, there are hi temp tapes out there that can handle 700 degrees F without even flinching.
Oh I wish my left ear would pop already. haven't been able to hear out if for 3 days.
I don't want to come across as a total fanboi .... although i am becoming more of a fan of apple of late... anyway to my point...
The iPhone launched a solid 18 months ago now ... although was revealed earlier .... it was clearly a revolution and yes lacks all the features that are complained about ad nauseum on this forum but....
Its taken 2 years for the competitors to come even close to the grasp of a true touch interface that apple showed 2 years ago .... i think the Pre looks like a solid design and in some ways is superior ...whether they have the full "experience" that apple tries to provide is another matter..
But all that said ... Apple are basically a few months away from launch (inevitable really) iPhone 3.0 ... they must have been watching G1, Storm and Pre closely and hopefully they'll pull another rabbit out of the hat and push iPhone to the forefront again
The iPhone launched a solid 18 months ago now ... although was revealed earlier .... it was clearly a revolution and yes lacks all the features that are complained about ad nauseum on this forum but....
Its taken 2 years for the competitors to come even close to the grasp of a true touch interface that apple showed 2 years ago .... i think the Pre looks like a solid design and in some ways is superior ...whether they have the full "experience" that apple tries to provide is another matter..
But all that said ... Apple are basically a few months away from launch (inevitable really) iPhone 3.0 ... they must have been watching G1, Storm and Pre closely and hopefully they'll pull another rabbit out of the hat and push iPhone to the forefront again
Dell has some cool hardware. However, they usually price that hardware out of reach. Remember the Dell Crystal display at CES a few years ago? It's $1,000 for a 22" LCD.
Dell has really changed over the past ten years. They started off as a mid-range system builder with well-built cases with local technical support. In 2004/2005, they moved to becoming a cheap PC manufacturer with $400 PCs and outsourced support. Now, they're trying to repair that image, but at the same time keep both identities intact.
Michael Dell needs to restructure Dell, particularly their desktop line which is confusing and repetitive (Inspiron, Studio, Studio XPS, XPS, Alienware, Vostro, OptiPlex). Ditch the Studio, Vostro and Studio XPS line, merge the Alienware and XPS lines, and bring back the mid-range Dimensions with the top-notch split-open cases and unlimited expansion options. That's it.
Inspiron (low-end mini-tower desktop, available in slim form factor), Dimension (mid-range performance tower desktop/business desktop), Alienware XPS (high-end gaming tower) and OptiPlex (high-end performance workstation for business).
Fanboi not at all.
I agree with what you said. Apple iphone, I love mine. Great device, meets most of my needs while it lacks some of the things I think the device is capable of.
Being relatively new to the apple arena here is my take on the iphone.
Apple had to develop the the relationship between ituens and the app store, had to. They needed it out there to build their next platform.
iPhone 3.0 will be a significant upgrade and would be surprised if there wasn't a new phone inconjunction with it.
I think you will see a revamp in the naming convention in the next month or so but you are correct the different lines are very confusing.
alienware uses different hardware than XPS dells.
Dell phone support has drastically improved. Their warranty services, imo, at top notch. I have had techs meet me at work, at hotels whle I was on vacation and so on.
Dell have overnighted parts to me when I dropped the notebook while on a business trip.
Dells budget machines are truly disposable junk (kinda harsh but). the $400 platforms are great for families where they know in 2 years the thing will be trashed anyway and little is lost.
When you move up in the line the hardware quality vastly improves. I have 3 XPS towers running in a 12x15 room and all you hear is a whisper. I have a E510 upstairs and it sounds like a bulldozer. Alienwares are sweet machines but the premium yikes.
Where Apple has gaps in their line Dell has way too much overlap.
When that 22 inch display came out I was disgusted because it had to be paired up with a $800 video card.
I was walking through the college campus by the animation lab. I stopped and looked and though HOLY S!@#. It was that monitor with the video card.
it was very very nice. did the cost equal the performance. to me yes, to my wallet NO!!
yes I like Dell but thoroughly enjoy learning about other brands.
I think in terms of hardware, PC manufacturers have lately done some improvements to their designs, but nothing to make me consider them as a real option. I still think that performance-wise, getting comparable power/features from a PC vs Mac still comes very expensive in the end.
About the OS: I've been looking at Windows 7, and I'm just amazed how the Microsoft developers just can't (or won't) learn anything about OSX or Linux. As far as I've seen, W7 is the same crappy OS as vista, with no really new/useful/groundbreaking developments. Perhaps this new version is intended to be performance centered, but nevertheless.... Windows is something I wouldn't pay for, not even half the exaggerated price that ask for it. OSX is by far easier to use.
In terms of software, I find Mac/OSX centered SW to be better in performance, features and user interface. There might be a greater supply of SW for PCs, but so much it comes confusing and risky (malware, viruses). In the end, so far I've seen nothing that makes me want to go back to PC.
Apple STILL holds the Design edge IMO.
About the OS: I've been looking at Windows 7, and I'm just amazed how the Microsoft developers just can't (or won't) learn anything about OSX or Linux. As far as I've seen, W7 is the same crappy OS as vista, with no really new/useful/groundbreaking developments. Perhaps this new version is intended to be performance centered, but nevertheless.... Windows is something I wouldn't pay for, not even half the exaggerated price that ask for it. OSX is by far easier to use.
In terms of software, I find Mac/OSX centered SW to be better in performance, features and user interface. There might be a greater supply of SW for PCs, but so much it comes confusing and risky (malware, viruses). In the end, so far I've seen nothing that makes me want to go back to PC.
Apple STILL holds the Design edge IMO.
Have you run Windows 7 beta yet?
Judging the book by it's cover it is similar to vista, Once the cover is open its night and day.
Yes 7 is indeed from all accounts a good OS. My question is why they had to dump the Vista name and move onto the new one. Because underneath it all, its based on the Vista kernel. So 7 is essentially Vista the way is was SUPPOSED to be with a few more goodies.
I can understand why they did it tho. The Vista brand name has a horrible reputation and I think MS figured a clean break would be best for everyone.
Sony's hardware has become fairly styish over the past couple of years perhaps due to competition? Unfortunately the same can't be said for their quality, cause in recent years it's diminished. Perhaps this is all due to cost cutting and weight shredding?
Many of their newer notebooks are assembled not with screws or cleaver clips embedded in the clamshell, but industrial strength double sided tape!! It's great if you're using the device in cool climates and you never dismantle the device!! Cause if any of you's, are like me, you'd be in trouble!
Prove it!
Yes osx is still easier to use, but you clearly haven't taken a proper look at Windows 7 yet, because a lot of people who have used the betas are claiming this to be a vast improvement on Vista in many new and different ways.
agreed.
When I first loaded vista it was dysfunctional as notebook without a screen. It was unloaded a week later. The new dell came wih vista sp1, much better but no where near what it should have been.
Vista was a combination of answering the needs of the OEM, a company undergoing a change in command, and HORRIBLE product exectuion.
Beta testers screamed, jumped up and down and it fell upon deaf ears.
I do not recall reading a completely positive review of the OS.
Why did MS drop Vista. I can't say but when OEMs started demanding the right to offer XP and open their lines up to Linux based OS'es, not to mention the lagging upgrades sales or the lack of corporate adoption, MS needed to step back, swallow their pride and bring in high priced talent in to provide a viable, powerful, resource friendly OS.
Just my take on it.
I've nothing to prove to you, more like you need to prove it for yourself? Go grab yourself one of those super light ultra portables and dismantle it, such as the Sony Viao TT70B. They're fairly cheap, just a couple of grand...
Build quality is very important when buying a product that you intend to last for 4 or 5 years.
Its not the end all and be all, but its deffinatly a big check in the pro column.