What happens to old product when new lines introduced?

When new products are introduced by Dell do the old ones disappear immediately, or to they continue to offer the older models alongside the new for a period of time?

I’ve been contemplating a Latitude ATG 630 given that I need an XP Pro machine with a “daylight-viewable” display. Rumor has it that the Latitudes (including the ATG 630) will be replaced in a few months with the E-series ATG 6400, while the D630 will get an LED display (which could be bright enough for my needs and would not be as weighty as the ATG).

I’d like to consider the new machines, but downgrading to XP Pro (assuming that the machines offer only Vista) would be pricey and no doubt aggravating.

So I’m trying to decide if I ought to get one of the current models (which ship with XP Pro as an option) or wait to see the new ones... assuming that I could still grab one of the current ATG’s if I don’t like what I see.

 

When a new lineup of computers is introduced, they will usually try to clear out all remaining older parts before releasing it by doing things such as price cuts. Other times (ex. Inspiron 1525) they will still have the older model available, but in limited quantity and choice and presumably only until they run out for good.

 

I was told by a Dell representative that this is a common misunderstanding. Granted, he may have been trying to do a hard sell, but this was after I already told him I wasn't interested and we were just chatting. He said that Dell produces laptops "on order," rather than having a warehouse of five thousand just laying around -- and that makes sense, since they're configured. So therefore, they have no need to get rid of "old" product, since there isn't any. They just phase it out by not allowing you to choose an old graphics card as an option, for example. Therefore, there are no price cuts when new products come out.

 

That is true, to an extent. Dell would have a good sized stock of motherboards, CPU's, memory, etc. When these new Montevina laptops are released, these parts will be useless, so they will need to clear at least some of them out (CPUs for example, could be used with the Inspiron/Vostro line, which no doubt will take longer to get a Montevina update.

 

Right, they'll displace parts to lower-quality lines. So while an XPS has the Penryns now, maybe later you'll see them in the Vostros or whatever. But the XPS systems will still cost the same -- you'll just be getting better parts for them. But if you're waiting for an M1530 to cost like $100 with a "discontinued" Penryn, you'll be waiting forever.

 

I would recommend just getting the D series ATG now, because I think the ATG E series line won't be released at the same time as the E series debut which should be beginning of June - it will prob take at least 1 more month. So I'd say your minimum wait time is 3 months - not sure if you want to wait that long or not but it is a significant amt of time I think.

 

Thanks for the advice.

Indeed, the (non-ATG) E6400 might meet my needs. The appeal of the ATG is really the daylight-viewable screen rather than the "ruggedaziation" and if the new LED screens compare in brightness and usability to that of my (company-supplied) MacBook Pro then I'd be tempted to forgo the extra cost and the extra weight (about 1.5 lbs I think, in the current versions) which comes with the beefed-up ATG.