Dell XPS 1530- Dell Calls out Apple

[SiliconAddict]

I work in IT and we buy only Dell laptops. I find the quality to be lacking in Dell computers, at least the Optiplex and Latitude models which I'm most familiar with. I could be wrong about the home models, but with what I've seen I'll be saving up for a Mac laptop. Sometimes you do get what you pay for.

I know this is an older thread but I had to comment on this. I do warranty work for Dell, HP, Lexmark, etc. I can say with 100% certanty that quality concernes about Dell have been fixed in the last year to year and a half. Simply put the number of failed systems with the new 1330's and 1530's has substantially dropped from prior generations of Inspiron, latitude, XPS's. On the Latitude line everything past the 620 line is really good hardware with one exception....they are using Alps instead of Synaptec touchpads which feel WAY more mushier to the touch when moving the cursor across the screen. Beyond quality the features simply blow the MBP out of the water. Some of the features like touch sensitive buttons instead of real buttons make the new xx30 series feel more innovative then the MacBook line of laptops. Internally. Well internally the design is gone from prior generations. Previously I could pull apart any Dell laptop because you seen one Dell you've seen them all. The xx30 series again is a vast departure. The internals. Hell you can upgrade the CPU on both models by removing the bottem cover. So now on these new systems you can upgrade the CPU, RAM, Hard drive to keep your system current. Also the overall design is much more geared towards getting heat the heck out of the case. Overall I would say internal design matches or in some cases exceeds Apple design. In short I'd bet a paycheck that Apple outsourced the design to someone else. These laptop's AREN't your traditional Dell design. Which is a good thing for Dell customers. A bad thing for me. I normally can replace a sysboard within 30 minutes on a laptop. These new systems....about an hour. Oh well.

 

[Quillz]

Can I just say that if someone genuinely lists Windows Vista as "con" for the Dell, then it's only fair to list Leopard as a "con" for the MacBook Pro. You really need to learn to put bias aside when making a fair comparison between two products.

 

[amrk47]

if the XPS 1530 had Mac os, it would a much better laptop than the macbook pros
it is made of mag alloy, which doesnt scratch or dent un like the mbp, it weighs less and it has a much better cooling system than the mBP



but it doesnt have mac os

 

[Hatchet]

In my opinion, with every new computer dell puts out there, they keep getting uglier and tackier.

They are trying to go with the futuristic look which I think is a terrible move.

The only thing they are improving is the look of the monitors.

 

[Quillz]

if the XPS 1530 had Mac os, it would a much better laptop than the macbook pros
it is made of mag alloy, which doesnt scratch or dent un like the mbp, it weighs less and it has a much better cooling system than the mBP



but it doesnt have mac os

Mac OS was complete crap, if it had Mac OS X, it might be nice. But it's still a stupid reason to be against the Dell. It's personal bias, having Mac OS X wouldn't in any way make the hardware better.

 

[amrk47]

Mac OS was complete crap, if it had Mac OS X, it might be nice. But it's still a stupid reason to be against the Dell. It's personal bias, having Mac OS X wouldn't in any way make the hardware better.

thats what I ment Mac OS X Leopard
thats what im saying, Dell has the hardware, but they lack the Operating System which isnt their fault

 

[mag2001]

its still a dell!!!

 

[Quillz]

thats what I ment Mac OS X Leopard
thats what im saying, Dell has the hardware, but they lack the Operating System which isnt their fault

That wasn't my point. Some people love Mac OS X, others hate it. Putting Mac OS X on the Dell won't really make it any better or worse.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

Is it wrong that I keep looking at Dell laptops with envy..?

 

[Quillz]

Is it wrong that I keep looking at Dell laptops with envy..?

Not at all. Apple makes good laptops, but it's important that they constantly face competition. Competition makes better products in the end.

 

[Sesshi]

That wasn't my point. Some people love Mac OS X, others hate it. Putting Mac OS X on the Dell won't really make it any better or worse.

Actually it would make it better. I like OS X for specific uses. I just don't like the hardware it runs on which is inadequate in many ways. Even the cheap & cheerful Vostros we've got in have been more reliable and more defect-free than the MBP's.

 

[FunkyELF]

[*]1280X800 Resolution (not acceptable for a HD capable laptop)

I hate to bring up this older thread but I found it searching google for 1530 osx to see if anyone got OSX running on it.

Anyway, you can get 1680x1050 on this thing which is quite good for a 15.4 and actually better than the mac book pro's.

My benchmark has been my girlfriend's laptop which is a 12.1 inch dell with 1280x800. 1680x1050 on a 15.4 is actually a little bit better (128.65 pixels per square inch) 1440x900 on the mac book pro's 15.4 is only 110.27 P/SI.

1280x800 on 15.4 is horrible, I agree but that was the lowest option. 1440x900 is useable and 1680x1050 is great. Leopard was supposed to be resolution independent, at launch nothing was said about it and the blurb disappeared.

Anyway, I just wanted to clarify that fact.

Also, I configured a 1530 on Dell's site...when you start with the 1530 it gives you three options, you can end up at the same place with different prices so if you're going to configure it up start with the closest one.
I started with the best one since it had $669 instant savings....

I upgraded to the 2.4GHz MBP CPU, it already had a 250Gb Hard drive (or for no change in price a 160 @ 7200) which is better than MBP, and 3Gb memory which again is better than MBP.
It also came with bluetooth, a camera, wireless N etc. I upgraded the battery and the display (to the 1680x1050) and it wound up being $1674, or $1424 if I go through my companies discount page.

So...spec wise, this thing is either equivalent or better and cheaper.

I'd pay about $200 on a $1,400 notebook for better aesthetics / build quality, and another $100 for OSX to try it out but not $1,000. This thing will run Linux with compiz-fusion just fine.

 

[Digital Skunk]

Is it wrong that I keep looking at Dell laptops with envy..?

No, because we are all getting tired of the same old MacBook/PowerBook case design that leaves no real room for improvement. I have been eyeing Dell's laptops, Alienware's laptops and Sony's TZ laptop with much envy. I can't stand the fact that if I were a Windows fanboy, and could get my work done on Windows machines, I'd have so much more options when it comes to niche computers and companies.

 

[Sesshi]

You don't have to be a fanboy. You just have to want to get things done in the way that you want to, not by marketing.

 

[Josheua]

Honestly, when i was purchasing a macbook pro, hardware wasn't as much of a concern as the OS. Personally I think Apple hardware (despite being older design wise) looks fantastic. The very clean looks and simple design makes working on the system a breeze and a pleasure. I personally love it. Alienware (expect for perhaps their newest models) and Dell machines look bulky, clunky and overweight in my mind. I wanted a laptop I could take with me on the go, and no one beats Apple in the mix of power and portability.

As for the display. This thread was started at the time of launch for the 1530 at which time the 1280x800 screen was the only screen available. 1680x1050 as well as 1440x900 options are now available as well as faster processor options, quiet updates which always occur with Dell.

-Josh

 

[Digital Skunk]

Honestly, when i was purchasing a macbook pro, hardware wasn't as much of a concern as the OS. Personally I think Apple hardware (despite being older design wise) looks fantastic. The very clean looks and simple design makes working on the system a breeze and a pleasure. I personally love it. Alienware (expect for perhaps their newest models) and Dell machines look bulky, clunky and overweight in my mind. I wanted a laptop I could take with me on the go, and no one beats Apple in the mix of power and portability.

As for the display. This thread was started at the time of launch for the 1530 at which time the 1280x800 screen was the only screen available. 1680x1050 as well as 1440x900 options are now available as well as faster processor options, quiet updates which always occur with Dell.
-Josh

I agree. At the time I started with my iBook G4, the way the machines looked and the OS were the biggest things for me, then I found that the Mac can run all the software I usually used for Windows machines, and it ran them better, so I stuck with them all through my freelancing career.

Now however, I find myself waiting too long for updates, and can see that the Professional hardware is very limited compared to the competition. I hope Apple follows Dell and gives us quiet updates here and there, instead of big shows and media announcements for each product.

 

[waynesun]

Impressive. PCs do offer better value.. and i've been wanting to spring on one of these for so long.. but i'm looking for a leopard/xp hybrid without the driver problems associated with the cracked OSX variants that can run on winboxes. I guess that's the only thing that justifies the price...

 

[Josheua]

I agree. At the time I started with my iBook G4, the way the machines looked and the OS were the biggest things for me, then I found that the Mac can run all the software I usually used for Windows machines, and it ran them better, so I stuck with them all through my freelancing career.

Now however, I find myself waiting too long for updates, and can see that the Professional hardware is very limited compared to the competition. I hope Apple follows Dell and gives us quiet updates here and there, instead of big shows and media announcements for each product.

I completely agree! Apple needs to take a second and pull it's head out of its a$$ and realize that processor updates, memory upgrades, are not major releases but in fact incremental changes necessary to keep up with competition. It's like they are giving the same hullabaloo they gave 10.5's release to the release of 10.5.1 or 10.5.2. Apple should already be ready to ship their Penryn capable systems much like other companies, should be producing a 512mb 8600 GT macbook pro option, and should be charging less for its system upgrades.

Apple has to realize that now they are in the consumer market, that options are what draw consumers. Personalization is what matters to your every day user, and the option for more power draws a professional's attention. Their current one size fits all business scheme is going to have problems down the road as their market share grows. Though I hope that as they do expand they do not forget their panache for great design.

They say that it was Steve Jobs who saved Apple. I would argue it was Jonathan Ives who provided the tools to save them and Jobs who marketed those fine tools of salvation to a hungry mass stuck in the biege box. Times change though, and Apple needs to change (hopefully for the better) too.

-Josh

 

[Digital Skunk]

Times change though, and Apple needs to change (hopefully for the better) too.

This is the exact thing that is going on right now. If Apple doesn't change the design of the MacBook Pro and give users some more options during this MacWorld then Apple would be trailing behind in both design and hardware. Yes, the current design of the MBP is wonderful, but it's beyond old, and it's in dire need of change to allow more hardware options that we don't currently have.

 

[sal]

Macbook Pro


Cons

• No Solid State Drive
• No High Defenition Drive Option

Dell XPS 1530

Pros

• Solid State Drive Option
• Blu-Ray Drive Option

Although it's nice that dell offers the option for solid state or bluray, adding both of these items on their notebook increases the price from $2398 to $4706

but hey if apple can provide a bluray burner/player and solid state memory and keep the price of the MBP between 2000-2500, then that's great. Otherwise I don't know about paying for a notebook that is close to $5k.