Studio 14 on the way?

The new webcam driver lists the Studio 1435 as compatible during installation....
Take what you will from that.

 

Like I said before:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=3787636&postcount=6

In short: the rumors that turned out to be true back before the Studio notebooks were announced officially already talked about a Studio 14 to be released in October, but Dell has never officially confirmed the existence of this Studio 14 or denied (or cancelled) the Studio 14.

Yet, it never showed up in either the slides about Studio XPS 13 / 16 or the HTML data table with all of the new Dell product release dates. So who knows.

 

Probably not, it is canned as far as I know.

 

Do we have any idea what is in the pipeline for the Studio and/or XPS notebooks? The last I heard, the XPS line was expected to be dropped and partially replaced by Studio XPS (with XPS being an upgrade package, or trim level, if you will).

Then again, do we ever really know what Dell is going to do next? They don't even know!

 

I'm a Dell fan but come on dell ... TOO MANY MODELS.

 

Now all they need a ten inch and eleven inch Inspiron .

 

There's only three consumer models (Inspiron, Studio and XPS) and three business models (Vostro, Latitude and Precision). But consolidating the Studio and XPS lines would simplify things a bit. I'm wondering Dell is finally going to dump the Intel X3100 graphics (Inspiron, Vostro, XPS M1330, Studio) for the not-so-new-anymore Intel 4500MHD....and they don't seem to know that there's a whole new generation of nVIDIA graphics cards (9000-series)!

 

Welll I mean the redundancy 3 levels of consumer grade laptops all with the same sized. More sizes are good!

Seems like they could get by on two or less of each. Wouldn't it lower production prices if they were to have less models?

 

The way Dell markets and prices the existing models, they are largely redundant and the model lines are kinda useless! An Inspiron 1525 and Studio 15 can be built with the same processor, Intel X3100 graphics, same hard drive, etc. and the prices are within $50 of one another. From there, the Studio offers several options that aren't available on the Inspiron (ATI discrete graphics, Backlit Keyboard, LED display, WUXGA display, Fingerprint Reader) but that's the only real difference.

A Studio 15 and XPS M1530 can also be configured with almost identical specs (only significant difference- Studio 15 has ATI HD 3450 and XPS M1530 has nVIDIA 8400M GS). So equipped, those models are with a $50 of one another. Besides the nVIDIA 8600M GT and offering one additional CPU option (T9500), the XPS doesn't offer any other substantial differentiation form the Studio 15....other than looks. But as we say here in the South, that flower has wilted!

To be honest, I like the idea of entry-, mid- and upper-level model lines. It's kinda like Ford, Mercury and Lincoln were eons ago (or so my grandpa told me). Although I'm not liking that analogy already because my Studio is a Mercury...yuck!

The Inspiron should cover from the Mini 9 up to a 15.4" (as it does) and the Studio/XPS line combined should start at 13.3" and include a 14.1", 15.4", 16" or 16.4", 17" and possibly an 18.4" or so? The only overlap would be 13.3", 14.1" and 15.4" with both an entry-level Inspiron and a upper-level Studio/XPS in those sizes since they are the most common notebook sizes. Perhaps offer the Inspirons with the choice of integrated graphics or a lower-end discrete GPU....and no Studio/XPS would have integrated graphics- something like the nVIDIA 9300M GS standard and the 9600M GT optional. Even better, make some of the Studio/XPS standard with the ATI HD 3450 and offer the HD 3650 as an upgrade.

Dell should implement this plan now and pay me a lot of money!

 

I sort of agree that the shear breadth of models and sizes is sort of annoying. Just when we got the widscreen, they start shipping 16x9 "multimedia" machines. For fun, here is my prescription for Dell.

The only things that really change between lines are the chassis and the available ports, there really isn't a huge need perhaps, to insure to a great extent that the slowest / fastest hardware is split up. If you want to game OR use high end multimedia stuff, you are going to need a good GPU and processor anyway, so consider slashing the studio or XPS line and just allowing for the survivor to be spec'd out if that is what you want.

Inspiron Line: keep it a cost leader and spend a little more on the chassis (please, a little more rigid and ADEQUATE COOLING). It is crazy how hot Dell lets these things run. 13 inch, 14 inch, and 15 inch models are probably enough. Allow for low and mid end processors and allow GOOD GPU options as an alternative to integrated. Yes, even students want to have fun sometimes. Drop 56k modems but focus the connectors on maximum flexibility. This means lots of USB ports and D-Sub but also DVI outputs. I would rather have e-sata than firewire. Would also like an LED screen - would put up with changing light conditions better. Also, make it easily recyclable and consider starting a recycling program at the company itself. Yes, I would pay a little more JUST for that. Its painful to students to know that they are contributing to the poisoning of other people with electronics consumption. We do like inspirons though because they are cheap.

XPS / Studio 13 inch, 14 inch, 15 inch, 16 inch, and maybe a 17 or 18. This is where you can offer two 16x9 "multimedia" models (16 and 17-18) that focus on blu ray, awesome LED screens, HDMI outputs, high end audio (optical out), and high capacitity / dual hard drive capabilities. Should have real speakers and subwoofer built in that sounds at least as good as your typical boom box. Add warm lighting for dark viewing of keyboard (that can be shut off), and programmable media buttons that can work with different video players. Use above average cooling for these models and make them whisper quiet. The point is that I should LOVE watching movies or TV on the thing, and have the ability to even make it my first Blu Ray player if I want to (it can plug right in to my home theater).

Other models should put emphasis on high performance of course. Allow customers to put the money where it counts for gaming: Best GPUs available. Make it easy to upgrade processor or GPU for that matter, enthusiasts always want more control. Unlock the BIOs. I will accept more weight if you can make this thing run less than boiling. Improve viewing angles! They are atrocious even for someone that doesn't move around a lot. Use more than one fan. Consider molding some plastic and sticking a trackball in there (for larger chassis)! that would be interesting. Maybe not. Try to make the design not look horrific if a larger battery is used. Ports should also have HDMI, DVI, lots of USBs, eSata, audio ports that support 5.1 or greater computer surround sound system. Perhaps a docking ability ala latitude line? Only include with the dock an enhanced cooling solution.

I don't know. That's all I can think of for the moment. Is anyone listening! : )

 

Some interesting ideas and quite a few finer details that I hadn't given much thought! Thanks a lot, now I'll be thinking about this all night!

The biggest problem(s) that I could see in consolidating down to one product line and offering a full range of performance options are mainly- looks/styling and quality of materials used. I'd have a tough time paying $1500 for an Inspiron 1525- even if it had a 2.53 Intel T9400, nVIDIA 9600M GT graphics card, BluRay Drive and WXGA+ LED display. It just has the look of a budget laptop that sells for $600 or $700, at most.

I'm not a huge fan of HP (owned a dv7t for four days, then sent it back for refund and got my Dell Studio 15), but I will commend them on the design and use of quality materials in the dv4, dv5 and dv7 models. Prices start as low as $599 and can easily top $1500, but they all look and feel quite similar. Instead of the expensive models looking cheap, even the $599 base dv4t configuration looks much more expensive! Of course, beauty is only skin deep and HP places form far above function. The glossy black exterior and chrome metallic interior trim are impossible to keep clean and the chrome trim gets VERY hot after a bit...but it looks stunning if you don't touch it! lol

HP has been very consistent for the last few years, making all models look very similar. The exception was an occasional Special Edition model, but there were only a handful of those. It's interesting that HP is now offering two design schemes on all dv4, dv5 and dv7 models ordered from HP.com. The Glossy Black/Chrome motif (which is familiar to anyone who has ventured into Best Buy or Circuit City in the last six months) is now called "Onyx". For $25, they offer a new (and rather hideous, in my opinon) "Bronze" cover design/color and bronze metallic trim in place of the usual chrome bits. The recently introduced dv3500t, only sold at Best Buy now, is only available in Bronze. In photos, it looks more like Brass than Bronze...ick! They've also just introduced a Special Edition of the dv4 and dv5- the dv4t SE has a blue aquatic theme and the dv5 SE is white and silver with a touch of lime green accents for some freakish reason! Suddenly, the Mike Ming Inspiron and Studio designs don't seem nearly as tacky!!!

If Dell went the single model line route, a redesign and upgrade of the existing offerings would be a critical starting point. The Crayola-colored Inspiron models are starting to look outdated, although I applaud Dell for staying away for glossy, fingerprint-magnet exteriors! They've got some sharp-looking models on the Dell Small Business site- the Vostro 2510, Latitude E6400/E6500 and the newest Precision models. The Latitude E-series, in particular, have a very solid-looking shape and modern, graphite/off-black matte metallic exterior. They could just remove some of the protection engineered into those models (magnesium alloy casing and LCD cover, spill resistant keyboard, shock-protected hard drive) and it'd be the perfect successor to the Studio 15! They even have backlit keyboards, fingerprint readers and optional LED displays- it's a perfect fit!

Going back about 18 months or so, the Inspiron 1520 and 1720 offered all the performance parts available on the XPS M1530 (which was a new model back then). Both Inspirons could be had with 256mb nVIDIA 8600M GT graphics cards, display resolutions up to 1680x1050 and processors topped out at either the 2.4GHz T7700 or the 2.6GHz T7800. Shortly after the XPS M1530 was introduced, the 1525 showed up with mandatory integrated graphics to replace the 1520, the 8600M GT disappeared from the 1720's option list and the 2.2GHz T7500 was the fastest processor to be had on an Inspiron. If Dell hadn't pared those options from the Inspiron models, they wouldn't have sold nearly as many XPS M1530s.

Actually, the XPS M1330 and M1530 is still a great looking design, it just doesn't seem especially upscale (although it did look and feel high-end when it was introduced). The look of the currrent XPS models could last another year or two if it trickled down and became the new Inspiron design! The metal accents would probably end up as metallic-looking plastic, but the look would still be pretty cool. Then the Studio/XPS could get a facelift along the lines of the Latitude E-series!

I'm convinced that all of the design and marketing talent at Dell works on Business product lines and not the Consumer ones! If the XPS line continues as a separate model, they could get away with using the same exterior as the Precison M2400 and M4400 from the Business line. Here's a link to the M2400, click on the small photo with the word "Features" over it- http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/workstation_precision_m2400?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd . Truth be told, since Dell has allowed the XPS M1530 to wither on the vine, some gamers have already turned to the Precision M4400 as a matter of necessity! The M4400's standard nVIDIA Quadro FX 770M is based on the 9600M GT graphics card, so it really is what an up-to-date XPS should be in a number of ways.

I'm not sure why I put this much thought into what DELL isn't (but should be) doing. I've always had a love-hate relationship with Dell. They build fundamentally solid systems that are simple to use, perform decently and they don't break very often (in my experience)- those are the LOVE part of the equation. But the long delays in updating products (months after their competitors do), inexplicable holes in various product lines (missed opportunities) and their ongoing failure to give loyal customers even the most vague idea of what we can expect and when- that's the HATE part! I still can't help wondering whether everyone in the company is actually as incompetent as their actions make them seem......?

 

hmm i dont know about the new studio.. 14" , i think we may be seeing a refresh in the inspiron 14" and 15" in late november/early december.. so probably they will call the 14 a studio.. or not.. we shall see.

 

The Inspiron 15 (1525) was introduced in January 2008. The Inspiron 14 (1420) was introduced along with the Inspiron 1520 around May 2007, so the 14 is really getting "long in the tooth", as they say.

Then again, the 15 outsells the 14 exponentially.....at least 20:1, I'd guess. So a refresh of the 15 could happen before the 14 gets one.

Of course, there were countless reports that the Studio 15 was the replacement for the Inspiron 15. Retail configurations of the Studio 15 are numbered as if they are Inspiron models, to add to the confusion. The Inspiron 14 retail models are I1420-xxxx, Inspiron 15 are I1525-xxxx, Studio 15 are I1535-xxxx and Studio 17 are I1735-xxxx. The Inspiron 1720 was also dropped when the Studio 17 was introduced.

I need a drink just from trying to type all that out....

 

ya you type too much.. lol..
there is going to still be a inspiron 15" entry level.. the 14" though will be refreshed.. the question is.. if it will be a studio or inspiron or both. hmmm....

 

Would it be reasonable to expect the new Inspiron 15 to have a 16:9 aspect ratio wide screen? Would make sense to me.

 

Cut me some slack....I had oral surgery yesterday and Vicodin makes me ramble....

I was wondering if the 14.1" would survive? Personally, I love 14.1" notebooks but I didn't know how well the Inspiron 14 sells, especially since the Inspiron 13 was introduced. The Dell Vostro 1400 bit the dust a while back, too.

 

It seems only logical that Dell will introduce a 16:9 model in the 16" ballpark. I'd bet on Studio/XPS branding for it, though.

Most competitors already have one....Toshiba just introdued theirs, called the Satellite A355.

 

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/ins1410/

There is a new Inspiron 1410, Dell just hasn't released it yet...

BTW: Its got the crappy non-LED...Dell cheaped out on it like the I1210 and equipped w/CCFL...

 

hmmm...

http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/pro...aspx/laptop-inspiron-1410?c=in&cs=&l=en&s=gen

Dell Inspiron 1410 - Cheap 14" model
soon to come 14" Studio Model..

 

that 14" surely does look like the Vostro A840 model.. just consumer branded.. not bad.. it surely will be cheap.. so its good.. and you will get the studio model soon with better specs..

 

And DELL intends to have LED displays standard on 80% of notebooks at some point in 2009 and 100% by mid-2010! Off and running.....then face right into the concrete...

 

What is that?

 

It is a 14" Inspiron model- on Dell's India website.

 

If you look at the specs is says it has a 13.3 inch screen. Looks more like the Inspiron 13.

 

It looks different.

 

Thanks again for sharing your info, much appreciated!

Seems like that Inspiron 14 model is really aimed at people with lower budgets, has even only Centrino 1 chipset / processor, even though it's apparently a new model... Doesn't have a Blu-ray option even though the Inspiron 1420 on US store does.

So either the Inspiron line will become even more low-budget than it already is or this model won't hit US / EU shores and instead we'll get the Studio 14 (perhaps to replace the Inspiron 14 in US).

 

Hmm, good catch! Specs seemed very Inspiron 13-ey to me as well, but didn't notice the screen size.

Could be a place holder spec page? The model doesn't seem to be on sale yet. Or the 14 is an error....

 

well believe me its a 14 incher..
the features say: A new perspective
The 14.1" widescreen display offers brilliant viewing of your photos, movies and more.

and that link is actually not really available.. still working on it.. if u go to dell indias home u wont really find ur way to it. so yes it is kind of underground.. so far.. but anyway.

 

http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/pro.../laptop-vostro-a840?c=in&cs=inbsd1&l=en&s=bsd

same chassis.. vostro model.. 14".

 

Interesting stuff.....but i usually end up more frustrated and confused when I start looking at Dell's websites in the UK and Australia. I somehow landed on a Japanese site, too......an Inspiron 1525 had a base price of something like Nine Billon Yen !

 

I hope the new 14'' Inspiron is more configurable than the A840 Vostro. My next new laptop is going to be a netbook anyway so 14'' isn't my concern.

 

Which netbook are you eyeing....or have you not made it that far yet?

I spent a few weeks trying to decide on a netbook to buy my nephew for Christmas....then I switched to the dv4t for the larger display, optical drive, higher quality materials than most netbooks.

Then today i discovered that Best Buy has a tolerable configuration of the Inspiron 1525 on sale for $499 right now.

 

If I have an extra $400 I'm looking at the Aser Aspire One or EEEpc with a HD.

But I'm selling either my 1420 or 1520 in a few months.

 

No, the 14" Inspiron shouldnt be configurable.. DELL is looking at this model actually more for retail, cheap, easy, basics, no choice. The studio should be more configurable at a premium.