"Dell phasing out XPS gaming systems"

Now I know this is a laptop forum, but...

Read here

Somehow, it should also reflect the situation on the laptop side of things. The XPS M1730, for example, is practically just as powerful as the M17x.

Thoughts, reactions, whatever.

Go!

[EDIT: If thread on the topic already exists, I apologize.]

 

Really?
...

 

Its pretty stupid logic tbh.

Taking away XPS sytems isn't going to make people buy Alienware. They'll buy other brands instead (or build their own) and Dell will lose out in terms of overall sales.

 

I'm in no way surprised. Infact if you read through my back catalog of posts I'd already aired the very real possibility of it happening.

Dell own Alienware now. They have no desire to compete with themselves. Since the emergence of the M1330 you can see how Dell have re-aligned the XPS franchise to sit beside the luxurious Vaio's and Macbooks.

That's not to say they've nailed it first time on the build and materials, but on the looks and features it has thus far been a great success I think.

All that's left is to tie the Alienware and Dell websites together in order that customers still seeking what was the traditional XPS rig be re-directed to Alienware.

 

Sorry, but that thread's last reply was like 5 hours ago. Maybe you could ask a mod to merge this thread with that one.

Anyway, it seems they're only dropping the XPS desktops AND the M1730. Hmm...

So did XPS really eat into Dell's sales, or did they just not push Alienware hard enough?

 

L.Rawlins: Running dual-brand products isn't competing with yourself, it's market saturation. One big supplier of several distinct brands makes it much harder for a smaller supplier of one brand to enter the marketplace. It's a profit protection scheme as old as capitalism itself.

Dell may be cutting back on development of new gaming rigs because of market shrinkage brought on by factors such as the credit crunch. The larger market is business machines and this is where Dell make their profit.

I would guess that Dell's XPS business unit, which has already started a trend to disassociate itself from pure gaming, is not racking up the profits it once was.

How this may affect their XPS laptop line is going to be pure conjecture at this point. I can only hazard a vague guess that gaming laptops, much like all other luxury items, are not in such big demand as they once were. On the other hand, gaming laptops are now far improved, performance wise, than they ever have been. This performance, almost matching desktop equipment, creates demand. Whether this outweighs the general decline, only Dell knows.

 

really? so is there any point in getting an XPS m1730? will it still have warrenty?

 

Yea. They can't discontinue a warranty just because they discontinued the product.

 

great thanx. its better to be safe then sorry

 

It's part of an overall decrease in PC gaming sales. The vast majority of game programmers are focusing on the current gen of consoles and as they always say, content drives sales. PC gaming isn't at a critical state yet - a LOT of gamers prefer to tweak their own rig rather than buy a boxed system and Newegg was doing just fine last I checked. But it doesn't surprise me at all that Dell just wasn't doing the volume required to support two brands (Alienware and XPS) and opted to narrow down to the one brand with the association with high-powered gaming.

Even Dell struggles sometimes to figure out what their own brand lines really target - where does the XPSone fit into the gaming heritage of the line, anyhow?

 

THEY WILL NEVER DISCONTINUE A WARRANTY IF THEY DISCONTINUE THE PRODUCT.

Point in case one of my older Inspiron 8600's had issues with the motherboards and they replaced it even when the newer Inspirion E1505/1705's were available. If you pay for the warranty they will give you warranty

 

Yes, but Dell already had market saturation.

You raise valid and interesting points but I still disagree; XPS came about in direct competition with Alienware. In its original guise that brand has become dead-weight post purchase.

They now require some leverage in the luxury sector, of which Apple is making great strides; and the smaller XPS shift is telling of this adjustment. I think recycling what was already a popular, recognised brand is a smart move on their part. If anybody needed some association with 'premium' and 'luxury' its Dell.

 

not really bothered about this as its only the desktop range being phased out at the moment, i dont have an XPS desktop, only a laptop, the XPS range of desktops for me isnt worth it.

 

GOT TO BE NONSENSE!
DELL have been releasing new XPS desktops recently... XPS One, 730, 620 (or whatever). No way are they phasing out.
Then again, are they selling? The XPS One is gorgeous, but it's pricey...
Wait a mo, of course they are or they wouldn't be eating into alienware's sales.

 

Someone already posted the link that says it's nonsense.
http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/14/dells-xps-systems-resurrected-wsj-is-judas/

 

Confirmed it isn't nonsense.

http://gizmodo.com/391481/confirmed...ell-gaming-xp-becoming-high+end-consumer-line

I really want to know if Alienware is going to use Dell EPP, DPA and the Dell Warranty options.

 

Aren't two companies better than one?

EDIT: Seeing as they are already going through with this, can't they at least use DELL's support and warranty, as well as a specific Alienware Canada website, instead of having to change it everytime I visit?

 

A novice I certainly am - Is that the main purpose of an XPS, gaming? How does an XPS differ from a Latitude or a Vostro?

 

XPS is a more cutting edge platform with newer technology parts. It may not be as reliable than their stable brand lines. As the technology that is used in the XPS line matures, it will trickle down to the Latitude. The Latitude is their upper tier business line, Vostro is the lower tier.

At least that is the description Dell gave me on the differences...

 

Then I wonder what is going to happen to the M1730. Will it be turned into the Alienware M1730 or will it be dropped? And what about desktop models like the XPS 630, which looks to me like it provides better cooling than the Alienware desktops.

 

I suspect it will be retired. The M17X is direct competitor to it and the likely successor. I am starting to doubt there will be a hardware refresh to the M1730 when the new chipset comes out

 

this is true.... i still have warranty on my Dell Axim X51V PocketPC..... its discontinued, but the warranty is stil being honored, though any problems i'll get, i'll probably receive a refurb replacement

 

Yep, definitely a shift towards luxury and premium.

Ok, so Dell is becoming luxury, alienware gets the gaming beasts. Explains the beautiful XPS One. But doesn't explain latest additions of XPS 730 and XPS 630. Both high-end gaming rigs, and advertised as so.

 

the 630... it's less than a year old, isn't it? why bring it out then cut it?

 

read the other thread, it has dell's view on the matter.