The Dell XPS One - competition for iMac ??

[Cloudane]

Hehe a PC, competition for an Apple, that's funny

I don't know... somehow an all-in-one PC just seems "wrong". Even though I've already done the full argument for the iMac, it's in a different league... if I was getting a PC, I think it'd still be a tower. Maybe it's that I expect a higher standard of reliability and support/warranty with Apple, or maybe it's just how I've been programmed all these years...

Or from a different angle, if I wanted an all-in-one (and didn't already have an iMac), the PC would be a silly choice as it can only run Windows or Linux (well, and various other OS'es) whilst for a similar price the iMac would also run OS X.


Side note - mmmmmm USB ports *droooooool* (I mean come on, just how stingy are Apple with the iMac! Just 3! Three!!)

 

[Nabooly]

Ofcourse thisll be competition for the imac. Im sure there are SO many people that want a aio pc, and here it is. In another year or 2 these aios will be all over.

 

[Digital Skunk]

I just got Leopard so there is no way in hell I would ever end up using Windows for anything now. There is still this one game from 1995 that I would love to play but I think the graphics in Command and Conquer 3 killed that idea.

Anyway... from a mediocre fanboy stand point. I would love to see the competition from a Dell or other PC company all-in-one. Maybe Apple would give us an iMac with um... um... besides upgradeable GFX cards I don't know what else I'd want.

USB is over rated, just like Blu-Ray for now. I want eSata and HDMI, besides... I don't even use more than three USB ports, (card reader, keyboard, iPod) and thumb drives go into the keyboard. RAM is cheap, so getting up to 2GB or more would only set me back about $150 or so. Same with speakers, and the iMac speakers aren't that bad. A TV tuner would be nice, but I am a TV guy... I want to watch it on my plasma (when I get it) and record it on my DVR (when I get it) and I (I know... this is all personal opinion ) couldn't see myself doing anything TV related on my big 24" iMac.

Now if the Mac Mini had a TV tuner... then we are talking.

The Dell XPS One is a very big start for a good looking PC all-in-one, and I am sure that some PC users would get it, but it's not quite iMac yet. Maybe about half way there.

p.s. Why would Dell make an all-in-one when many of the PC supports out there love their PCs because they can easily upgrade them?

 

[Dont Hurt Me]

The XPS GPU's are weak as can be, I cant imagine paying $1500 or more and still getting pathetic integrated crapo $5 graphics. Who would have thought Apple would be leading the charge of all in ones with REAL GPU's. Pretty amazing when you look at the Gateway one and XPS. The TV tuner though is terrific guess ill get a Elgato Hybrid for the imac.

 

[Sesshi]

Well it's nowhere near as beautiful as an iMac but it does have a host of features which the present iMac's lack .....

Even though it's too expensive and has a crappy screen ..... I reckon a year or two in the future, with the necessary revisions/upgrades ..... it may knock a few dollars off Apple's share price .....

Whatever ..... competition is always good and it will push the iMac to greater glory !!

http://www.dell.com/content/topics/...topics/en/us/xpsdt_one_teaser?c=us&l=en&s=gen

No. People who are in the market to get an iMac will get an iMac. This is for people who want an all-in-one bedroom / dorm room / den PC with TV and other functions. The fitout is generally appropriate - For such a class of PC, I'd pick Vista Ultimate or Home Premium over OS X any day as it's a better entertainment station out of the box, and when you consider the additional software available. But I don't think this particular variant will sell that well - 20" is a little too small for distances that you will actually be using the remote. Perhaps they'll stick an E248 panel in there in the near future as well as slightly better GPU's.

Also unlike Apple, Dell actually has decent 'power entertainment' desktops in their XPS lineup, so I guess it's just filling in a niche hole in their offering. Thinking about it as Dell's TV is more accurate, I think.

 

[gkarris]

I still don't know why people are comparing Dell with Apple. It's like comparing a Porsche with a Yugo....

I finally purged Dell computers from my home last week (the recycler I work with gave me an awesome deal on an HP workstation - $100! Added some memory and an nVidia PCI-e card - a great PC gaming machine!). I gave him my old Dells... no more Dell computers in this house!

 

[GSMiller]

Ofcourse thisll be competition for the imac. Im sure there are SO many people that want a aio pc, and here it is. In another year or 2 these aios will be all over.

Yea like that AIO Gateway released to compete with the 4th gen iMac? What was it called again

 

[andiwm2003]

the fact that i could not easily find out what processor is in the computer means i will never even consider buying one.

yes they give you the processor number "with Intel® Core™2 Duo E6550". but when you click on the question mark they say nothing about this processor, only different ones: Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 Intel Core 2 Q6600 Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Intel Core 2 Duo E4300

so i basically don't know if it's santa rosa and what the clock speed is.

web designers are stupid. or maybe it's not their fault but the marketing departments.

aside of that i think they go in the right direction. i can see my mother buy one. but then they are not cheaper than a mac.

 

[Sesshi]

the fact that i could not easily find out what processor is in the computer means i will never even consider buying one.

yes they give you the processor number "with Intel® Core™2 Duo E6550". but when you click on the question mark they say nothing about this processor, only different ones: Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 Intel Core 2 Q6600 Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Intel Core 2 Duo E4300

so i basically don't know if it's santa rosa and what the clock speed is.

web designers are stupid. or maybe it's not their fault but the marketing departments.

aside of that i think they go in the right direction. i can see my mother buy one. but then they are not cheaper than a mac.

Not stupid, but perhaps not catering for parties for whom only the dumbed down - or sleek, depending on how you look at it - layout of the Apple Store makes any sense?

All you need to know is there - E6550 - which is the processor. i.e. not compatible with Santa Rosa which is a notebook chipset: This is a genuine desktop with a desktop chipset, including a few tweaks.

 

[Brianstorm91]

The fact they need to include "Elegant Design" as one of the key points on the photo doesn't really bode well does it?
Way too many angles on that thing for me.
And the remote

 

[Sesshi]

Ah yes, the remote - ask yourself a simple question:

How usable would your DVR remote be if it had only six buttons?

Vista Media Center is a real HTPC solution: It's not a half-assed toy like Front Row. So by the same token a toy remote doesn't suffice. As much as Jobs might have lampooned the button festooned remote with the Apple remote introduction, the fact is it doesn't work anywhere near as well as a proper remote if what you're doing goes well beyond what FR is capable of. True, it's possible to do almost anything by nested menus but as the iPod proves against players with more efficient user interfaces, it's kind of a drag to constantly move in and out of menus.

FR is a great way of showing how cool your computer is, but it doesn't much go beyond that. If I want to actually do something worthwhile in home media, I turn to Vista Media Center and the remote.

 

[Brianstorm91]

Vista Media Centre does seem to be quite competent, however I find that when the grass looks greener on the Microsoft field, that's usually because its full of hidden Apple rip-offs.

 

[taylorwilsdon]

I like Macs as much as the next guy, but yeah, Front Row is a total joke. Its cool the first day when you get your mac and you are showing off your little white remote, but its not really a usable media center.

I think the XPS One looks nice, and no, its not Santa Rosa because it uses real desktop hardware (something that Apple has somehow managed entirely to avoid).

 

[CashGap]

"it's possible to do almost anything by nested menus but as the iPod proves against players with more efficient user interfaces"


Err... the market hasn't been kind to those other players with 'more efficient' user interfaces... the ol' nested menu iPods still manage to snare 9 out of 10 sales...

 

[GSMiller]

the fact that i could not easily find out what processor is in the computer means i will never even consider buying one.

yes they give you the processor number "with Intel® Core™2 Duo E6550". but when you click on the question mark they say nothing about this processor, only different ones: Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 Intel Core 2 Q6600 Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Intel Core 2 Duo E4300

so i basically don't know if it's santa rosa and what the clock speed is.

web designers are stupid. or maybe it's not their fault but the marketing departments.

aside of that i think they go in the right direction. i can see my mother buy one. but then they are not cheaper than a mac.

I know, the tech specs list is hella vague. Clicking on it doesn't help either as it takes you into this fancy-schmancy menu where you customize it and it's just all one big confusing mess. Boy does it make me love the online Apple Store even more!

 

[Sesshi]

"it's possible to do almost anything by nested menus but as the iPod proves against players with more efficient user interfaces"


Err... the market hasn't been kind to those other players with 'more efficient' user interfaces... the ol' nested menu iPods still manage to snare 9 out of 10 sales...

Oh undoubtedly it's a bigger success. But populist doesn't necessarily mean best.

The point is that even with the simplistic featureset of the iPod, its menu structure was already somewhat unwieldy when compared against other players with dedicated buttons. A very simple case in point: Volume control. The scroll wheel makes the interface usable and also makes it the most accessible, but the OS and the need for it to work with a scroll wheel coincidentally makes it functionally inferior in terms of accessing features to a number of other players on the market.

And consequently getting back to the remote, given the demands of a genuine media center as opposed to Front Row you're not going to hack it with six buttons.

 

[gkarris]

I like Macs as much as the next guy, but yeah, Front Row is a total joke. Its cool the first day when you get your mac and you are showing off your little white remote, but its not really a usable media center.

What version of Front Row are you using? The one in Leopard is like TV's and is great.

I think the XPS One looks nice, and no, its not Santa Rosa because it uses real desktop hardware (something that Apple has somehow managed entirely to avoid).

That's because apart from the MacPro, all their other Macs use laptop parts - so why not keep costs down?

 

[Mindflux]

Side note - mmmmmm USB ports *droooooool* (I mean come on, just how stingy are Apple with the iMac! Just 3! Three!!)

They give you 3 USB ports, 1 FW 400 and 1 FW 800 port on an iMac. Need more? get a hub. Does the XPS give you firewire at all?

 

[freediverdude]

I'm just wondering.....since this has a desktop processor (although I can't tell specifics about it without some research, thanks Dell), and it's in a pretty small space like that- isn't this thing going to have heat issues? Unless there's some huge noisy fan in there somewhere.

 

[ucfgrad93]

I think its ok. I still prefer my iMac, but its not a bad offering by Dell.

 

[Sesshi]

I'm just wondering.....since this has a desktop processor (although I can't tell specifics about it without some research, thanks Dell)

As I said above, what more do you need than the processor name? If you were in theory would-be buyers, are you hardcore Apple guys seriously that dumbed-down in relation to decision making

and it's in a pretty small space like that- isn't this thing going to have heat issues? Unless there's some huge noisy fan in there somewhere.

It's a good point, and that was a real danger with the Pentium 4's. I remember a P4 Sony all-in-one I had which when I did the slightest thing turned into a vacuum cleaner. However the danger is much less with the Core 2 Duos.

I'd say comparing the upper-end consumer Dell stuff I have (including three varieties of current XPS notebooks and a couple of the H2C / 410 desktops) with Apple stuff, I'd say Dell have a better handle on the heat - noise balance than Apple, who tend to veer too much towards noise and forget about the heat. It's probably fair to say that the machine will be noisier than the iMac. I'd be interested to hear the machine myself, but as much as I tend to surround myself with Dells, I have no plans to get this one.

 

[Cloudane]

They give you 3 USB ports, 1 FW 400 and 1 FW 800 port on an iMac. Need more? get a hub. Does the XPS give you firewire at all?

Ah the old classic Blind Fanboyism. "They give you 'x'! You should be thankful! If you don't like it, 'xyz'!"

Every PC I've seen for the past 3 or so years has had at least 4, most of them 6, plus Firewire.

I mean it's not like there's any lack of room on the back of the iMac, and it wouldn't ruin the aesthetic... which makes me wonder why they went for 3!

"Get a hub" isn't an answer. It's another power brick, and more trailing leads. I've never needed one for my PC?? (wait for it "well get a PC then, bla bla bla")

 

[flopticalcube]

Would have been nice to have a couple more near the power button.

 

[Mindflux]

Ah the old classic Blind Fanboyism. "They give you 'x'! You should be thankful! If you don't like it, 'xyz'!"

Every PC I've seen for the past 3 or so years has had at least 4, most of them 6, plus Firewire.

I mean it's not like there's any lack of room on the back of the iMac, and it wouldn't ruin the aesthetic... which makes me wonder why they went for 3!

"Get a hub" isn't an answer. It's another power brick, and more trailing leads. I've never needed one for my PC?? (wait for it "well get a PC then, bla bla bla")

Classic fanboyism? I came from 20+ years on a PC and have had my first Mac just over a month. I need 4 ports total for USB. Big deal, I have a hub. OH NOES.

Again, Apple decided to give a Firewire 800 and a Firewire 400 port, over more USB. Why? Because it's their product. They want people to use Firewire. Lastly, a lot of Apple users are professional photographers/videographers. Most of them PREFER to use Firewire. Do you have any idea what they'd say if it wasn't even on the machine?

Could apple have added more? Sure. If they used a desktop motherboard. but they chose to use a laptop mainboard.. and like most laptops you'll find it has just a few USB ports.

 

[czachorski]

Ah the old classic Blind Fanboyism. "They give you 'x'! You should be thankful! If you don't like it, 'xyz'!"

Every PC I've seen for the past 3 or so years has had at least 4, most of them 6, plus Firewire.

And the iMac has "at least 4" usb ports plus 2 firewire, as well. Don't forget the iMac keyboard adds 2 powered USB 2 ports, and takes up one of the 3 on the back of the machine. So it's 5 ports total, or 4 if you count the keyboard as taking one. Be careful about calling people blind, when you yourself are failing to see something.......