New Dell XPS L521X (Ivy Bridge)

Quality of thinkpads have been taking a dive hence why I am here. They seem to be regressing in terms of display quality.

 

Both. We plan products and secure logistics way in advance of the current market. For these platforms, back when we were planning, cost and sourcing were issues. If we add a Bluray burner option, it will be on the next gen or possibly if we do a mid life kicker (MLK). However, what really drives this is attach rate. No matter how many people say they want the option, or how many say "Dell should offer this because ______," we just don't sell enough Bluray writers to justify the cost of qualifying, procuring, stocking and supporting them. We hear that people want them, but we don't sell them when we offer them.

As far as throttling goes...

 

This.

One of the reasons people purchase Dell, is they value the customer. I did watch the XPS 13, and tehy did very quickly resolve the issues it had. What is good to know, is that as expected a bios update will resolve it. As this XPS line launched at such a high price, the knives were always going to be out for it and of course XPS systems have poor history with regards throttling.

Bill, if you were English I am sure the Queen would have knighted you by now!

 

Didn't see it. Probably because I only check this thread.

They're moving some production back to Japan so expect some higher quality? IMO it's just a placebo effect due to a sticker saying "Made in Japan" instead of China.

I expect most if not all computer manufacturers to be putting in some higher quality displays now. Got to play catch up with MBP w/ rd. At least 1080p with better glass and viewing angles, but not ridiculous like the MBP such that most websites look pixalated.

Yeah I'm glad to see that Dell is really living up to what I heard about its customer service on laptops.
Bill's a Texan. That's good enough. A UT longhorn though but it's still good. Owls are better

 

@ Bill

You said to remind you about UK retail. I mentioned about Dixons group and rest of UK retail not supplying new Dell laptops.

 

Thanks for the updates Bill, we missed you around here. Hope you are feeling better!!!

Re: SSD option in the US... will there be an option to upgrade the mSATA soon?

I talked to Amith@XPS about upgrading the 32GB to a 128GB but in order to do that right now you have to "upgrade" the 500GB/720GB 7200rpm drive to the slower (and IMO too big) 1TB 5400rpm drive. The cost for those two things is around $300 extra... which seems exorbitant considering you can get a 128GB mSATA (if you can find one) for around $140.

 

Better at what? Academics? Pffft. Football!!
Actually, I love Rice and would be proud to send my kids there (on scholarship). I play Rice on NCAA 2012 in dynasty mode. It takes a few seasons to make them competitive, but it helps if with recruiting if you move them to the SEC right off the bat. lol
They did put it on us in the last meaningful baseball game we played vs them. That one still hurts.

I feel a lot better. Both kids seem to be out of the woods as well. Thanks for the well wishes.
mSATA options have not been discussed just yet. I'll look for comments about it and see if the merchandising lead has any room to tweak.

Arrrgggghhhhh. I would have to spot this post 17 minutes before close of business. Everyone's gone. Can you post about it again so I see it tomorrow morning? I only pathetically ask because I know I'll have a bazillion more things on my mind by tomorrow morning. Sorry for the deficiency on my part.

 

No probs Bill, I will give ya a nudge tmoz!

 

Thanks, that'd great if you could get some info. As of now, the only thing holding me back from buying the 15 is the small sized mSATA (meaning I'd have to fork out an extra $140 and upgrade it myself) and that the prices are a little high.

Re: Prices, there is $50 off coupon on the Canadian website, but I still can't get anyone to give me the $100 student discount off the price. There's been lot's of posts here about people getting tons of money off the prices in the US.... HOW!?!?!

And not to knock your sales reps but the best they could do with the price was to throw in a mouse free of charge...... seriously?

 

At least you got a mouse! I got absolutely nothing!!
The thing is, I asked for a quote on a tuesday, and I got an answer from my rep but asked for another option (immediate payment or credit) and he said he would get back to me on the same day. He didn't get back to me and I had to call him on the following day, only for him to realize that the coupons I wanted to use expired and that I would need to pay more for my system! All of this because he didn't get back to me as he told me did!! I negociated with Dell (France) and they eventually brought the price down a bit but it was still like 70€ more than the price I had on the day before the coupons expired. I asked for compensation like a mouse or something and they refused telling me they can't do these kind of gifts anymore as reps have been abusing it in the past...

 

Gifts? Haha! At least Best Buy gave me their stupid product service plan for free when I bought my new Xbox a couple years ago. After all, how many people actually submit claims to these things? Up front, these "giveaways" are at no cost to the company. One of the sales rep I talked to said no way when I asked if I could get a free extended warranty I might have actually sprung for it if they did.

 

Glad everyones feeling better. I would have also bought an upgraded mSata if that was an option. I had to troll ebay to find one.

 

What did you end up getting? I'm a bit concerned that most mSata SSD drives around seem much slower than full 2.5" SSD drives.

 

just a 64 gb pm830. A little more room for the OS

 

I love Rice too. I can eat it everyday
Academics and baseball is where it's at. Pfft football. We have NASA on our fingers. It's pretty cheap without a scholarship though. Cheaper than all the Ivies and other top 25s I was considering. But in the end, Rice pretty much gave me a full ride.

Thanks for all the updates. Any whispers about possible coupons or price drops?

 

Honestly, I was NOT impressed with X220 build quality and ended up returning it after a very frustrating run of repeated defects with the 'Premium' IPS LCD (severe backlight bleed, poor white balance [too warm]), noisy fan, and general fit-and-finish issues. I realize not everyone has the same experience, but I don't anticipate that I am the only one who had issues. I also found their depot repair center to be underwhelming and well below the standard of service I associate with Dell.

Hmm...I thought I'd read that they were moving production to Japan for units headed for the domestic (Japanese) market. Is the move intended for production of units sold worldwide?

 

This is exactly what happened to me this same week in Denmark. I asked them to match the price of the new MacBook air which I can have with a 12 % student discount + $100 student giftcard. Said he would get back to me the following day - he didn't. But hey, then I'm never going to have a dell again even though i don't like to make the switch.

 

Seems like it's no longer available for purchase on the Home/Home Office UK site...

"Sorry, but this item is no longer available for purchase online. Please contact your sales representative for details on how to order."

New! XPS 15 laptop details — Entertainment laptop | Dell UK

 

Hmm same here. Business is still there.
Updating configs perhaps???

 

Or adjusting prices... The business ones are cheaper than they were. £201 cheaper on the one I ordered... Will see about getting a refund for that amount as I haven't received mine yet

They've made a mistake on the 2nd option too!

Lowest config: £849+vat
2nd lowest config: £489+vat!

New! XPS 15 laptop details | Dell UK

 

OMG jump on that price mistake haha. Too bad it's the i5

Why does the UK get a lot more customization than the US. You guys also get free Adobe Elements 10

 

They're only moving Thinkpad production to Japan right now. Still in the process, not completed yet. But it's a worldwide production not just for domestic Japan.

 

i was also shocked it's just £489+vat. if i place an order now will i get that new xps 15

 

Don't think. Just do it Nothing to lose except a cancellation

 

Yesterday, The Verge has published XPS 14 review, obviously they confirm all we already know about XPS problem and their previously item.

Dell XPS 14 review (2012) | The Verge

Good Stuff
Solid construction
Long-lasting battery
Good keyboard

Bad Stuff
Heavy
Iffy screen and touchpad buttons
Can get hot and noisy

 

Thanks for the update. I already know about the "bad stuff" and am hesitant.

 

Damn, this is the i5 630m version so one configuration I would definitely not keep :-/ So re-selling would be the only option.

 

You could sell it for a lot more than you paid for it though. I'm seriously tempted to buy it right now. It won't last long.

No price change yet that I can see on the Irish site though

 

I would definitely try it if it were in my country, and it is the configuration I am interested in!

 

I can't in all honesty see Dell honoring that price, but good luck to the guys that're trying!

 

You can go as far as at least the checkout and it doesn't change. It's their mistake, you have to sell a product for the price it was marked at as far as I recall. I wish I had the disposable income to try it at least.

 

That's the UK, they have better laws protecting consumers over there. Try choosing next day delivery and see what happens

 

It's from the business section, so doesn't have the ships fast option unfortunately - I ordered mine with top delivery option on the 3rd of July, it was shipped on the 11th and I received it today.

 

They will cancel your order. For all pricing T&C apply and Dell has rights to cancel any order. It's not the first time and not the last.

 

@Bill

Reminding you about UK retail?

 

Wait we complain about how over priced it is and now they release a $2300 version...

On the bright side it does have a 512gb SSD but its the only one that offers an SSD.

The $2000 version now has a 128 mSATA cache luckily the price of that one hasnt changed.

 

Tried my luck...

Don't particularly want this model but on the massive off chance it went through, I'd sell it to my girlfriend.

 

Something fishy is going on over at Dell...

I checked their website last night and the only review for the XPS 15 was, of all people, Downlinx. I checked again just now and all of a sudden there are 11 brand new, nearly perfectly rated reviews even though the users have had multiple issues with their units. One reviewer who is clearly a newbie even states that they've had their unit for about a month now... How is that even possible?

And to top it off, as a PP above me stated, they've added a 512GB option, jacking the price to $2300! Who the heck is in charge at Dell? What is going on over there? Where is the 256GB version? Why is this so difficult for them to get right? When I click on "Customize and Buy" I should be able to customize, no? Not add accessories I don't want and services I never intend to use. That's not customization -- that's being backed into a corner.

I'm completely okay with the Inspiron 15R SE being the true replacement vehicle of the L502x. I get it. It's a known fact. But where does Dell get off going this untried and frankly unfriendly route with the XPS line? And I truly feel sorry for everyone who's buying into it, and buying the units, because they're not helping to send the proper message. They're doing what Apple customers do: bending over, taking it, smiling in the doing of it, and then asking for plenty more.

Jesus, am I alone here? Someone please help me to understand.

 

This isn't how it works in the UK and Ireland. Prices displayed by retailers are considered "invitations to treat" and are not binding - they're basically an invitation to the customer to make an offer, which the retailer can accept or reject (or they can negotiate).

 

Honestly, one of the biggest reasons why I'm avoiding the new XPS in my laptop search, is due to what you just said. The complete lack of customization. I have bought many Dells in the past due to being able to make it exactly how I want it.

What if the video card is the only "upgrade" I want over the base model? Why is it that if I want to upgrade from 6GB of RAM to 8GB, I also have to upgrade my HDD? It makes no sense.

 

You are not alone...

Inviato dal mio GT-I9100 con Tapatalk 2

 

Or you know, we're buying a product we're happy with.

 

No, you're absolutely not alone.

 

You,re definitely not alone!

 

The 512 ssd version was and is 2000 euros in The Netherlands from the beginning. That's 140 us dollar more then in the US... What's your complaint..

 

The only thing holding me back is the price and the lack of customization!

 

You are not alone. I am quite hesitant, given the current situation.

 

No, you're not alone. I've been looking for alternatives. I'm still keeping Dell on the table in case a coupon code (15-20%) comes along.

 

Yeah definitely not alone.

I did notice that the XPS 15 jumped from 0 reviews to 11 over night and that most of them were 4 or 5 stars yet the actual comment had some major complaints.

Best part about the SSD is that everyone has been saying how they are putting their own SSDs in that are 128 or 256gb and yet Dell comes out with 512. More space is always better but the price jump from a 256 to a 512 just isnt worth it for most people.

Exactly what I'm doing. The second a 15-20% off coupon comes out ill get this laptop but until then Ill just keep looking

 

Yea, the 32GB mSATA is way too small and basically worthless (IMO), they should just change them all to at least 128GB so that they can install the OS to there instead of using iRST.