Source: Tom's Guide US | Keywords: Dell, Design, CES | Themes: Laptops and Notebooks, CES Las Vegas
- 1. Dell Declares Design Supremacy?
- 2. The Truly Custom PC
- 3. Design Studio: From Inspiration to Image
- 4. Dell's Worldwide Design Team
- 5. Leather and Luxury Design
- 6. Premium Materials
- 7. Inspiration: Chairs and Chronometers
- 8. The Industrial Innovation
- 9. Apple’s Way or Dell's Way?
- 10. No Need to Check The Engine
- 11. More on this topic
8. The Industrial Innovation
The real key to making this approach successful isn't just inspired designers or appealing art, premium finishes or even industrial design, according to Alex Gruzen. It’s Dell’s ability to custom-make every single PC without dramatically increasing prices. “It was always a matter of how many units would justify doing that color, and since now we’re making them individually, one PC at a time, it changes the game,” says Gruzen.
The “World of Warcraft” notebook Dell released a year ago was a secret test of the process. There were only three images available on a limited series of notebook models, but what the team learned went into designing a manufacturing process that doesn’t slow the orders down. The customization proposition became pointless, Dell realize, if they had to tell their customers that they could have a specific design but that they’d have to wait a month for it. The turnaround time for custom orders is now two days longer than standard orders (seven days instead of five days), but Gruzen says the company will decrease that difference over the coming months.
Choice goes beyond colors, says Gruzen. “One of the most significant trends here is the broadening of the portfolio, the fragmentation of form factors. In the old days I could tell you I was going to do a 15.4" and a 17" notebook and I'd be covering over 80%; maybe I'd throw in a 14” and cover 99.9% of the market. The days of the Model T are gone. The days of the 15.4” notebook are gone.”
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Sorry but the quality of the machine itself comes before the quality of a case or paint job.
The whole modeling with the laptop just seems silly to me.
Sorry but the quality of the machine itself comes before the quality of a case or paint job.The whole modeling with the laptop just seems silly to me.
That's a very understandable position to take. Of course, a lot of people feel differently--especially when it comes to netbooks and other low-end laptops. When you reach the lowest common denominator of computing (where quality of the machine is nearly a commodity) suddenly looks matter.
Rachel Rosmarin, Editor of Tom's Guide
I was tempted by colours and bought custom Studio 17 online. The experience was terrible: my order was canceled twice, DELL tried to charge me second time (bank bounced the charge back), oh, and their customer service is clearly based somewhere rural in India.
Buy DELL just if you see it in the shop! Otherwise, get SONY.
I'm a network administrator for a library system. We have around 250 PC's and Notebooks between our 10 locations. We are a 100% Dell shop. I have very few problems with the systems. There might be 1 or 2 component failures a year out of the pool of systems which are very heavily used. About 2/3 of our systems are used as public Kiosks and for public internet access. These computers run at least 12 hours a day 7 days a week with children pounding on the keys all day and teenagers trying to delete the Windows folder... you get the idea. When I have had a part fail my replcement part is there within 24 hours with a technician to install it. I don't know if thier retail equiptment is built this well but for a business Dell is by far the best brand you can get.
I personally dont like DELL's design, the last company I was working gave me a IBM X61 laptop which I loved, in the current company which is working with DELL I have an option between D430 and D630, its a lose lose situation for me, since one is big and heavy the other is light and very very poor performance (ULV processor and 4200 RPM HDD).
Also IBM's design is better IMO.
I have an IBM server thats rock solid.
I actually didn't even know they still sold PC's.
When's the last time you saw one?
I thought IBM sold off all thier pc divisions.
Acer was once part of IBM.
Isn't the Think Pad made by Levono these days.
I don't want to come across as overzealous as my first post sound. We used to have Gateway systems and warenty repairs are a very frustrating experience since they went chapter 7 or whatever happened to them...
I'm extremly busy. I just want stuff to work and repairs to take one phone call.
If IBM can do that for the same money. I would use them.
But Dell has never done anything to make me switch.
Switching would be a hassle and a waste of money.
It's just a paint job, isn't it?
That's called personalization?
I have an IBM server thats rock solid.I actually didn't even know they still sold PC's.When's the last time you saw one?I thought IBM sold off all thier pc divisions. Acer was once part of IBM. Isn't the Think Pad made by Levono these days. I don't want to come across as overzealous as my first post sound. We used to have Gateway systems and warenty repairs are a very frustrating experience since they went chapter 7 or whatever happened to them... I'm extremly busy. I just want stuff to work and repairs to take one phone call. If IBM can do that for the same money. I would use them.But Dell has never done anything to make me switch. Switching would be a hassle and a waste of money.
IBM sold their PC division to Lenovo. The would be typical IBM machines are still being produced (thinkpad, thinkcenter) just under the name Lenovo.
We have some dells, hps and lenovos. Overall the lenovos are the best.
I would take a thinkpad over anything in the dell product line too.
I have never liked their laptops. Since Dell is emptying out a lot of their factories to have products produced overseas, their mark of quality has pretty much fallen down to the same level as the rest of the crap on the market.
I think I just like their support. We have 10 small offices in the midwest with maybe 35 laptops spread out amongst them. We're in a very rural area spread out over 6000 square miles. The Dell folks from Fargo, ND which is like 3-5 hours one way by car to swap out a touch pad on laptop I may personally have never seen. Next business day on site service every time. I can't remember the last time I had to stop working and haggle with a dell guy. They just show up do what there supposed to and disappear.
I don't use a laptop that much. I check one out each year to audit our wireless when I make my rounds.
I don't even use a laptop.
That is pretty sweet. HP has similar service. I haven't had to deal with lenovo yet.
I was pretty surprised by HP too, had some bad psus that needed to be replaced, gave them the model and SN and they sent them out with out even needing to call them up.
Haven't had to deal with dell either. We have some dimension 2300's as file processors and they don't really fail.
Haven't touched Dell in quite awhile because their "designs" always sucked. I'm not talking about the pretty outer shell...I'm talking about the important pieces inside that make it work.
While they may make neat-looking machines, from a system admin standpoint they were horrible. Every single machine came with slightly different hardware (video card, network chipset, modem, etc.) which made setting up install images a PITA. When you're dealing with a handful of PC's it's not as big of an issue. However, when you're dealing with thousands, as I was, it was a nightmare.
Hopefully they've cleaned up their act since.
IBM/Lenovo, HP/Compaq and Dell all have well deserved good reputations for the quality of their corporate grade hardware, service and support. Their consumer grade stuff is, in my experience, pretty dodgy. Proprietary parts, lower grade components and poor service and warranty support has led to pages and pages of griping about their respective consumer level offerings.
Where I work, we're standardized on IBM/Lenovo for everything...servers, workstations, notebooks, and monitors. Their service and support is exemplary. At home, I use custom built hardware, parts of my choosing and built by me.
Apple's take-it or leave-it hardware choices notwithstanding, I believe that if not for Apples innovation in design (iMac, Mac Mini), we wouldn't be seeing nearly the degree of customization from companies like Dell.
Dell's quality have decline year over year. Customer service is a absolute joke. Can't believe MD still would put his name out there.
Clearly this company need to get back on the right track. Build up customer service and dress up a pig.