Why buy "boutique brands"?

I am looking into upgrading my current notebook (an aging compaq) and after some looking I noticed that Voodoo/Alienware/Hypersonic were all extremely expensive, with virtually the same specs as any other company. So I looked at the customer service records, and, unlike Dell, these do not justify the costs in many cases. I could get an R4000 with the same specs as an Envy series or better, so why the cost (aside from all the extras like colors and tatoos)? Yet people buy these things, so there must be a reason. My budget right now could (with a little strain) meet the excessive costs, so should I buy one, or get an R4000?

 

Well, they do come with a flashy paintjob and few eyes stuck to the back of the laptop....mostly people buy it because they feel that the boutique manufacturers have some sort of performance advantage(in some cases they do), but it is mostly due to the 'cool' factor of the laptops.

Thats the reason why people pay $2100 for the Acer Ferrari 4000, otherwise a smilarly configured Acer sells for $1600 - $1700.

 

Honestly, most people wanted them for gaming once upon a time because they were the only ones pushing the limits, but that's changed and the interest for such machines has to be waning. There is a desire to be different though, and a $3000 notebook with an alien sticker is certianly different.

 

It doesn't appear that there is a tremendous amount of performance difference. Its mostly aesthetic... all about the coolie factor as mentioned above. And periphial supplies like cool logo'd case, mouse-pad, custom painted mouse, notebook, etc. You are buying into a lot of marketing and getting something "more unique"... and in some cases, entirely unique.

That is the reason for the additional cost of these machines. If one has the money and its what they want... I say go for it. If aesthetic difference has no weight in your mind then barebones is the way to go. Its going to perform nearly the same... I doubt you would really notice the diff.

 

The attraction is a combination of components and performance, paint and razzle-dazzle, customer care, tech service and the reputation of the builder (read: ResellerRatings and the like).

The truth is, as already stated, excellent machines with equally good components can be had for far less money from other perfectly respectable companies. If money is a major issue, boutique dealers probably are not the right sellers to be researching.

My advice, FWIW, is that if you'd strain your budget and you feel the price of boutique machines is excessive, you should buy elsewhere. Good luck with you decision.

 

As the only owner (as far I can tell) of a boutique laptop in this thread, I will share my experiences with you. When I was looking for my laptop, I started by eliminating companies that I thought had poor reliability or very bad customer service. From there I start to do some research on the remaining companies, like Dell etc. I discovered that they did not offer what I was looking (a 15.4 notebook with a top end graphic card). So I started to look at boutique companies. I ended up buying from Sager because they had exactly what I was looking for. It also ended up being cheaper than the closest thing I could get from Dell.

In summary, I bought from one because I was looking for a powerful centrino notebook and the major companies did not offer anything that satisfied me. In my case, I was also cheaper to buy from a boutique company (got mine under $1600)

 

Here are two more reasons.

First, boutique companies are more American than most of the major companies. Sure IBM and Dell are based in the US, but their laptops are made overseas and they have outsourced their support. Boutique laptops are assembled in the USA and their support is based here too. Many times you can talk to the guys who put together and test the computers rather than someone who reads off a script.

Also with boutique companies, you normally don't have to pay sale tax unlike the major companies. The boutique companies only have operations in one state. If you live in that state, see if there is a reseller in another state. With the major companies, even ones like Dell, they have operations or little stores in many states so you are much more likely to pay sales tax. This means that if a Dell is a little cheaper than a Sager, not having to pay sales tax can make the Sager cheaper.

 

Just to clarify for you, you are not.

 

Every brand is priced in a certain range for a reason. Dell/HP/Compaq/Gateway, etc. are cheap because they are mass-produced and generally aren't of the best quality, though on paper they seem to be the best deal. ThinkPad/Apple and the sort are expensive because of higher quality and better reliability, though often they have worse specs on paper, and use slightly outdated technology. Boutique brands not only offer the most recent technology but of course have that "exclusiveness" factor. Quality and customer service sometimes aren't the best, though, as the laptops themselves are still ordered from the same generic OEM's (?) that Dell and HP use.