Dell's Adamo Goes After MacBook Air 337
MojoKid writes "Adamo, pronounced 'A-dahm-o,' means 'to fall in love with' in Latin. Dell is certainly hoping you'll fall in love with this notebook's looks as well as its functionality. The Adamo's chassis is milled from a single piece of aluminum and features precision detailing with a scalloped backlit keyboard. Even the fan holes, which are punched out squares, have an attractive modern design. The Adamo features a thin 0.65-inch profile and weighs four pounds. The new ultra-portable will also offer Intel Core 2 Duo processors and DDR3 memory (up to 4GB), a 13.4-inch 16:9 HD display and a 128GB SSD hard drive. Pricing starts at $1,999 with Vista Ultimate 64." The Dell infomercial spokesmodel (video at the bottom of the link) concludes, "Adamo resulted from the union of technology with pleasure for the style-conscious individualist." OK, so he's no Steve Jobs.
Sounded pretty good... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:While this is the awesome... (Score:2, Insightful)
I hope it does well, since it's a beautiful and a LOT more versatile than the overpriced sheet metal that is the Air.
Really? I can run Windows on a MacBook Air. How well does an Adamo run OS X?
Thank You Apple (Score:5, Insightful)
First we had Microsoft making efforts to change the look of their desktop to be something less "ugly" (a characterisation that even Bill Gates used) that took a wrong turn with XP but resulted in something reasonably coherent and possibly attractive in Vista (and its cousin, Vista SP1). Now we have Dell setting aside their traditional look (a make-it-up as-you-go-along aesthetic designed to appeal to one's inner ricer so those cheap-assed plastic/metal boxes with an in-your-face logo would actually sell) for something that actually looks like it was "designed".
Hell, based on the looks, I'd even consider buying one. Someone would first have to convince me that during assembly, the internals weren't selected from a grab bag of parts taken from a randomly changing supplier list, though.
So, kudos to Dell. But let's face it: the real credit belongs to Apple who forced everyone to adopt a higher standard.
Up to $2700 for Adamo (Score:3, Insightful)
Hey, Apple is the only one who offers "high-priced" laptops.
What is going on here?
Oh, and one more thing... (Score:3, Insightful)
I forgot to add the one thing the Adamo is missing - Rich Corinthian Leather wristpads. Only then would it be a true union of technology with pleasure.
And people bitch about Apple? (Score:5, Insightful)
So it costs more than the Air, but has a crappier chipset. It does have more ports, which is good, and unlike the Air it can hold 4GB of RAM. It's also a little bigger, a little heavier, and it has way less processor in it. Plus it comes with Vista - though it's at least the x64 edition, it still will have that much more in driver compatibility issues as a result, and it's still only a Home edition. For that kind of coin, you'd think they would at least provide Ultimate.
And how again is this Dell's MacBook Air killer? The best thing I can say about it so far is it's a little better-looking than most Dell laptops. But I think they're going to sell about 3 of these.
Re:Thank You Apple (Score:3, Insightful)
copy and paste (Score:1, Insightful)
I hardly see how this competes with the Mac Air. The average thickness is greater. It is slower, and only comes with the home software. Unless you are willing to pay more than a Macbook Air, you will have to live with a very slow machine that does not have enough memory for Vista. For the machine that works, the cost is $2700. Of course some will say how wonderful all the extra ports are, and the built in mobile broad band is a plus.
But really, how much extra is one going to pay for a Dell. For Apple the markup is ok. Everyone expects to pay extra for an Apple. But for a dell?
Re:Nice (Score:4, Insightful)
While I agree that 2GB being non-upgradable in the MacBook Air is an oversight, to be honest 2GB is still a fairly hefty amount of RAM. My old MacBook Pro has 2GB and rarely uses more than half of it under Leopard. In fact, Leopard on my old iBook G4 with 640MB works pretty well so 2GB is plenty for OS X. On the other hand, if you're talking about Vista then 2GB is a bit tight. It is funny when people compare specs between PCs and Macs and don't consider that the difference in performance between OS X and Vista can make a much bigger difference than whether one has 4GB or the other has 2GB.
I fully expect my MacBook Pro (just coming up to 3 years old) to serve me well for another few years at least before it needs to be replaced. Not one of my PC laptops has ever lasted me more than a year since I am very hard on my machines. As you say, I wouldn't trust Dell to be able to make a machine that can withstand the daily use my laptops get put through.
Re:While this is the awesome... (Score:5, Insightful)
It'd probably run great if apple would allow it.
Re:Eevrybody's SURE to get in line for that... (Score:2, Insightful)
More than 80% of people are still working. Lots of them probably feel pretty secure in their jobs. Especially the ones who would ever spend $2,000 on a new laptop (I don't see any problem with spending the $2,000, but good luck convincing me that a $2,000 laptop is $1,000 better than a $1,000 laptop).
Re:Oblig. Python (Score:4, Insightful)
Late to the party and underwhelming... (Score:5, Insightful)
Using Intel's 4500 series? OK, so graphics are not its forte.
It actually cost more than the Air and gives less power? Processor speeds are lackluster as well.
You just have to hate Apple to buy this over the Air. I am not a fanboi of Apple, I do have an iMac (7600gt variety) and a Touch, but damn I always thought Apple notebooks overpriced cases with average internals...
So what happened? What are they truly aiming at? This new laptop of theirs is practically a sales pitch for the Air.
Now, if it started at 1299 then it might be worth looking at...
Sorry, but I really don't understand how this shipped at its price point, especially with such a weak feature set compared to its obvious competition. Slower processors, 1/3rd the speed in graphics, oh I will just stop there.
Oh, Blu-Ray, well it has something at least I cannot do on an Apple...
Great, I am going to have to check myself in at Apple's Fanboi Anonymous group after posting this.
Dell makes a (Score:4, Insightful)
thin, nice stylish laptop, and it's expensive.
Remember that next time you whine about Apples prices.
Re:poor latin (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Not exactly pretty (Score:3, Insightful)
Might be a nice computer for all I know, but the design is rather ugly and heavyhanded. NIce for a Dell, but no Apple-killer from a beauty standpoint.
It so happens that some of us buy computers and other random IT related gadgets with a list of criteria where looks don't get the first place (not even close). Somehow I've even seen people being quite happy with non Apple hardware. It's possible they hadn't yet had their latte with nougat flavoured syrup though.
(not that I bothered to check the specs on that gizmo)
Re:MAC Address (Score:3, Insightful)
Then you'd have the joys of fabricating individual cases, and matching them up / flashing the ethernet card :/
Sounds like a massive pain in the ass, and probably $100 per unit for something that only 0.01% of customers would find cool.
Re:Up to $2700 for Adamo (Score:5, Insightful)
Didn't Sony start first with their VAIO line?
Apple, the masters of lock-in. (Score:5, Insightful)
Apple is still the only computer maker that understands the value of integrated hardware and software design. No piecemeal computer kit thrown together by others will ever quite match the integrated holistic approach of Apple products.
You could have said that Apple has mastered lock-in while appearing to be open.
Re:Thank You Apple (Score:3, Insightful)
Hmm. If by higher standards you mean aesthetic looks, then sure. But the IBM/Lenovo Thinkpad has always held the lead in durability and overall engineering. Problem is, they never marketed it outside of the business world. If they did, it wouldn't matter anyway because in the consumer market, "looks cool" takes precedence over "works well".
Re:Not exactly pretty (Score:4, Insightful)
Seriously, laptops still have ports on the back?
Ports on the side? The right side is where I keep my coffee, and a mouse that I try not to use. The left side is where I keep my pad, a calculator, a book or two or three, and an ashtray for when I get tired of whatever I'm doing. The back, on the other hand, is dead space, all the way across the table to the wall. Why not use the back?
What a PITA! I thought side or front ports were pretty standard now.
They, as are a lack of serial ports. If you want, I can bitch about that, too. ;-)
Re:While this is the awesome... (Score:1, Insightful)
Would run fine, if Steve Jobs would let it
Re:Can you change the battery? (Score:5, Insightful)
You know, I own and regularly use 2 laptops, and I can count the number of times I've removed the battery on zero hands. It's not a big deal to me.
A focus on function (Score:5, Insightful)
For all the joking about how Apple is for effete fashion victims, the biggest difference I noticed from the Dell video is that the Apple video focuses almost entirely on functional design. In the Apple video, they don't say they use aluminum because it's sexy, they say it's used to provide rigidity for light weight. Instead of a fancy apartment we see industrial manufacturing. There's no spokesmodel (all the speakers are staff/management at Apple), and the only model is seen only for a few seconds at the end. There's no talk of fashion or aphrodisiac or etched patterns for looks.
I think Dell is totally misreading the market if they think there is going to a big demand for the Adamo based just on how hot and fashionable it looks. That's especially true now...I think conspicuous consumption went out as a life goal for most people about 6 months ago. And even if people are willing to spend that much on a notebook, the way to get to their pocketbooks is to focus on the high-end quality of the product. It's the same reason people buy $450 Gore-Tex coats to walk their dog, or $55,000 SUVs to drive the kids to school.
Re:All your love needs (Score:5, Insightful)
I don't really like the Apple notebooks except for the MacBook Pro. All the others look like eeePC cheap plastic toy laptops. But, MacBook pros are $2000+.
You must have missed the fact that current Macbook models are machined from a solid block of aluminum, just like the Macbook Pros.
The other reason I don't like MacBooks is that it seems that people who use them seem have fallen in love with their laptop. They always want to have it on and in front of them at all times - always claketing around this or that.
What a strange thing to say. You don't like a certain model of laptop, because its users seem to enjoy using them? Would you rather buy a model which the users are frustrated with, and don't use very much because they are a hassle?
Last time, pointless (Score:5, Insightful)
Every time a sealed device (iPhone, Air) comes up someone likes you brings up the external battery.
Such a pointless question though. Who cares when an external power pack the a laptop can run from takes the same amount of space as the spare battery would have? The ONLY time you ever need one of these things is really long air travel, when you're in steerage without a plug. Even when traveling in the deepest heart of Africa I didn't need a spare battery because I just charged off the car we were traveling with (and yes in fact I did need a laptop it was not just some electronic toy I could not live without).
As for replacing it, since you do that once every few years I can't see that as a serious concern.
Re:Last time, pointless (Score:1, Insightful)
As for replacing it, since you do that once every few years I can't see that as a serious concern.
Let me get this straight: during the lifetime of your device, something will happen that will make it substantially less useful unless you change the battery. And you don't see this as a serious concern. And the reason you don't see it as a serious concern is that your device will only be made much less useful once or twice...
If you car's gas tank capacity would get reduced to $[amount of gas that lets you drive a mile] every five years of use, you wouldn't worry about it because it'll only happen once or twice during your use of the car?
There must be something I'm misunderstanding here...
Re:Can you change the battery? (Score:3, Insightful)
Perhaps if you could change the battery, you would regularly use just one laptop. I expect a spare battery (and charger) is cheaper than a whole other laptop...
the macbook is now ultraportable! (Score:2, Insightful)