M1330: the ultimate hype-anti-hype trip...

Being one of the many "it's on the way" future-M1330 owners, I kinda feel like Captain Kirk does when Scotty's screaming "Captin, ya caun't le'd mah-tah coum in contact wid' anti-mah-tah!!!"...

I don't know wether to lol or sigh; it really depends on which [M1330] Universe I currently find myself in:

M1330 Universe:

-Design, portability and power to make all but the most demanding consumer drool upon sight

-Reputable Reviewers (NotebookReview, Laptopmag, Reviewpub, etc.) giving it their totaly-killer-dude seal of approval

-M1330 hailed as Dell's comeback and answer to Apple's macbook, Sony's SZ line, etc.

-M1330 loved by [almost] all owners @Notebookreview Community


Anti-M1330 Universe:

-The initial EDD was ridiculous, but to make matters worse, Dell missed the EDD by a long shot.

-The Replacement of the replacement of the original which was received 60 days after the initial 90-day EDD was FUBAR.

-"My M1330 is a dream, everything's fine except for the following minor issues:

• wrong color/ wrong screen/ wrong processor/ wrong...
• missing Bluethooth module/ missing Biometric reader/ missing "P"/ missing...
• bent frame/ dented palm rest/ scratched cover / peeling surfaces...
• Uneven Keys/ flexi KB/ KB-wid-a-hump/...
• loose hinge-covers/ gaps here/ gaps there/ gaps everwhere...
• dead-center-dead-pixel cluster/ grainy panel/ badly-aligned panel frame/ ...
• Wobble with 6-cell / wobble w-9cell/... (M1330's wobble but they don't fall down...)
• protruding HDD/ (overly) protruding SD/ (overly) protruding Express Cards/ protruding...
• whining CPUs/ whining batteries @ charge/ whining fans...
• creaking frames/ crackling headphone jacks/ insensitive mics/ audio-free HDMI connections**/...
• low-RPM fans/ hi-RPM fans / always-on-hi-RPM fans/..."
• [edit] optical drive eject that doesn't always... eject
• I forget... and that/those other "minor" problem(s)...

(**[edit]User Guide clearly indicates that you must manually switch between speaker-headphone and HDMI, thus this is not an issue.)


Maybe I'm over-reacting and maybe the same list of issues can be found when viewing Sony's (sub)forum or HP's or even Apple's. But there's something really wrong when someone shells out that kind of money and has to hope - no, make that pray, that they'll get what they paid for... ! I'm angry at Dell because they've ruined what should have been a wonderful experience.

The only scary part of this whole process should have been the moment when you give out your credit card number (read: knowing that your bank account has just taken a serious hit), but at the end of (that) day, confident that you made the right choice and that one of the best Notebooks* on the market has your name on it. (*in it's class)

Instead, I get to spend the next 30+ days wondering which/how many of the numerous issues will be packaged with my M1330...

 

I fully agree with the OP's excellent post. I was very excited to get my M1330 and did feel I was "taking a plunge" when I hit the Submit Order button, knowing I just put a large charge on my Amex, but I did not expect to worry pre and post-sale that I got a defective unit with a sub-par build-quality. It really did dull the excitement of buying myself an expensive new toy, and reduced it to "well, I needed the laptop, not just as a toy, so hopefully it'll work out despite it being initially messed up".

Now, in addition to a gappy hinge, an iffy fingerprint reader, a passive-matrix-like viewing angle, uneven surfaces and unsealed closures, somehow, my speaker bar is dented just above the volume buttons area - how or why, I have no idea since I have barely used it, and certainly did not put anything on top of it.

I still recommend the laptop and have already gotten good use from it, but I am disappointed that the build-quality is a joke even next to, say, their Latitude D830. But Sony does not have a comparable machine, nor do they match Dell's 3 or 4 yrs Onsite with CompleteCare, etc, nor do they come close to Dell's price.

 

Thx for both

 

No problem. Again, that was a great post, and the point you made was one that I haven't seen anyone else make.

 

I don't know what traveller is complaining about.
Lots of people pay money to take part in lotteries with a lot less chance of having anything at the end of it. ;-)

 

It's a good machine, really. The problem comes when it's not built well. Unfortunately, that happens a little too much. Hopefully you'll get a good piece. If yours is messed up in any way, you have the right to return and return until they give you a proper one. Don't worry about it.

 

The difference between a lottery and the M1330 is simple.
Lottery: you pay $10, you might get 100 million
XPS: you pay $2000, you "might" get something that worth $2000

See the difference?

 

Regarding the hype: i would have loved everything brushed alloy colored to be at least be real brushed alloy rather than cheap plastic. That actually was a bit of a design dissapointment. The system looked great on marketing pics, but eventually contained a whole lot more plastic than expected.

However the build quality of my unit is still satisfactory.
I still think it's a great deal for the money. They just RTS'ed this product to early, the've should have waited another quarter in order to sort out quality issues and component lead times

 

You know if the M1330 is that much of a problem, just go to a store and buy the perfect notebook there. We all know about these problems. I've had 2 replacements, but in the end I was satisfied. The M1330 is simply difficult to produce on a mass scale without a defect here or there. I'm not sure how much Dell's manufacturing processes contribute, if the workers aren't skilled enough? But at least Dell is nice enough to send replacements alot easier than most manufacturers.

 

Yep service is top notch! (if you talk to the right people...)

 

I noticed a typo.

"XPS: you pay $2000, you get something that really should be $1350"

Fixed, i'm sure thats what you meant to say.

 

Its because of these things I turned away from the M1330 at the last moment and went with an HP dv2500.

 

But it still appeals to you, assuming that's why you spend time reading these 1330 posts

 

Yeah, I have to agree with your assessment. It's also the reason why I didn't jump into the feeding frenzy back in July and only ordered last week, thinking rush hour was hopefully over... .

Of course, i could of waited 'till like, next Spring, just to be sure... but hey, I'm only human & I've been window shopping for a Notebook since May and this is about as long as I can wait...

Nalada, Jarrod & MrDeeds, all I can say is ROFL, at least, when I'm in the positive Universe... :twitcy:

 

Every new product has build quality issues but some of you have been posting real nightmare experiences! It only reinforces the notion that Dell really struggles to get a grip on its problems.

 

Austria doesn't have Dell kiosk, afaik, otherwise, I would have done just that.

Dell's next-day service was one of the factors in my decision to go with Dell, so I'll agree with your point.

Now here's mine: I paid 1,750 EUR (2,450 USD, 2,450 CAD, 1,220 GBP, 2,845 AUD, ...) for my cfg (see sig.) and like many M1330 owners here, I've used up 110% of my budget. That's about the cost of last year's vacations in Tunis and New Delhi combined... .

My justification is that I'm buying a top-notch Notebook that will satisfy all my mobility needs for the next 3-4 years, but no where on my scribbled-on napkin did I take into account the possible stress, time and effort to arrange for pick-up / drop-off / repair visits once, twice, or even x times, not to mention the emails and phone calls that are required in between.

For those among us that have both the time and patience to deal with Dell and their M1330's teething problems, glad to hear it, but I unfortunately have neither...

 

Ummm, if you are talking about the palmrest, is is def NOT plastic. It is brushed aluminum and that is why it dents so easily.

 

Btw, I noted your sig shows Turbo Memory and 802.11n... how did you manage that? I didn't even see Turbo Memory offered as an option during the configuration (I used the European website to configure mine)...

 

You can buy the TurboMemory separately, and it goes into the WAN slot, not the Wireless LAN slot, so you can certainly have both in the system at once.

 

Great first post, OP. Exactly how I feel. I couldn't WAIT for my new M1330. Then, when I received it almost 2 months after I ordered it, it couldn't have been worse. Broken webcam, 19% wear level on my 6-cell battery, and then the hard drive died not a week after receiving it.

My replacement has been having rather finicky-like, and I never know when it's going to blue-screen next. There's definitely a build-quality issue going on here. Whenever I check out the Macbooks, I dribble. Then again, those new 13.3 Macbooks are total oil magnets. The demo units are so covered in hand oils it's a joke.

There is no spoon. I mean, there is no perfect laptop. But heck, I'd just take a decent one...

 

What WAN slot...???

I've reviewed the Service Manual and there's no sign of any WAN Slot and as a matter of fact, Ethernet's definately a mobo item and the only other place to add something is in place of the Bluetooth circuit (found underneath the Center Control cover, left side).

So sorry, I don't really see how it's possible other than using an Express card slot for the WLAN device and placing the Turbo memory module into the mini Card compartment.

Nothing wrong with the above configuration - just that Dell EU doesn't/didn't offer the Turbo Memory card as part of the cfg options and provided the 802.11n mini card as standard... .

 

I was at our local mall yersterday and stopped by dell booth to check out xps m1330, laptop looks great , one of the biggest dissapointments for me was the chep plastic material that thy used,i actually was gonna buy one , and then chenged my mind, and the sales guy goes " this is lightwhaght titanium that is used not a cheap plastic" im like r u kiddin me dog? i dont know how they hire morons like that.

 

Just to clarify on the bottom of each XPS are 2 PCIe slots.
1 is used for Wifi, the other is either empty or used for Mobile Broadband (WWan)

When empty, you order an Intel Turbo Memory module for 29,00 euro which are widely available, put it in the empty PCIe slot and there you go....

 

The XPS M1330 has the following (among others):
a dedicated Bluetooth slot that will only accept the Bluetooth card.
a dedicated WLAN slot that will accept a Dell/Broadcom or an Intel wi-fi card.
a mini-pci (I think) slot that will accept either a Sprint/Verizon/T-Mobile WAN card, OR TurboMemory (or, can, of course, be left empty, as is the case with many systems).

 

Two mini-card slots...? Kewl!!! I guess I haven't seen any pics on the 'net showing room for two cards, but I'll take your (& Samuel's) word for it

Great news, that - thanks to both for the info!

 

Just buy it. Use the laptop for a while. When you get bored with it return it and tell Dell, they lied to you.

 

Wasssuuup!

Actually, he almost got it right... not titanium, rather a magnesium alloy.
And the whole Notebook's not made of it just the chasis. So yeah, the keyboard's plastic, and maybe the display frame, etc. but deep down, the M1330's got that "steel's real", daaawg.

 

morons hate morons.. no offense meant but it's a magnesium alloy (like what traveller said), not a "chep" plastic material...

 

It's been six-ten months for many of us M1330 owners since we went through the "trip" and it's even more amazing that Dell hasn't managed to change said trip all that much. We still have the hinge-gap, the over-heating GPUS, the whining CPUs, the static on the audio path, build quality, etc, etc, etc...

...but I still love that damned little Notebook... :twitcy:

 

Can someone please let me know where I can buy this Turbo Memory and is it really worth it?

 

Just google turbo memory. It doesn't appear to a noticeable difference is made for the price.

 

For a moment i thought you were saying your M1330 had ALL of the issues mentioned in your original post haha

I would have thrown it off a bridge if it my new notebook was that bad....

 

Dude, why don't you just see what you get rather than assume you're not going to like it before you get it?