Dell Strikes Back - editorial @ [H] Consumer

I find it funny that so many in this thread simply refuse to believe that Dell can improve and does care about the customer and their reputation with enthusiast. I bought a Dimension 9100 last fall for my wife and have been so satisfied with the quality and experince I just bought myself an XPS 400. It has been an excelent system and I can attest that what was written in the article by Chris is accurate, they are making huge strides.

I suggest some of you let go of your past notions and accept the fact that a large company can change. Of course it isn't a "good will" thing, it is a marketshare thing, Dell can't have every enthusiast out there hating on them and not lose sales. But in this case, much like in cases regarding MS or Intel, why does't matter as much as what. And so far the "what" has been great for me and the general tone of the XPS forums is positive these days, there are still issues (like any large volume OEM would have), but not the pages upon pages of vitrol that there used to be.
 
xbob04 said:
I find it funny that so many in this thread simply refuse to believe that Dell can improve and does care about the customer and their reputation with enthusiast. I bought a Dimension 9100 last fall for my wife and have been so satisfied with the quality and experince I just bought myself an XPS 400. It has been an excelent system and I can attest that what was written in the article by Chris is accurate, they are making huge strides.

I suggest some of you let go of your past notions and accept the fact that a large company can change. Of course it isn't a "good will" thing, it is a marketshare thing, Dell can't have every enthusiast out there hating on them and not lose sales. But in this case, much like in cases regarding MS or Intel, why does't matter as much as what. And so far the "what" has been great for me and the general tone of the XPS forums is positive these days, there are still issues (like any large volume OEM would have), but not the pages upon pages of vitrol that there used to be.
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Charging a premium NOT to put crapware on my machine is an improvement?
 
How is it charging a premium? These programs are money makers for Dell. When people extend the trial offer, Dell gets a cut. I don't follow your logic. They haven't raised prices because of this. If by charging a premium you mean they aren't offering it on their B series, well, I don't know what to tell you.
 
Fact of the matter is that Dell has had some trouble with its support. Their problems will not go away with lip service and marketing. It will go away with implementing all these ideas that they are saying they are doing and doing them right. Most of us will believe it when we see it and that is where I think most of us are coming from. Just because they say they are getting better doesn't mean that it is true, that’s from life 101.
 
I feel like I'm repeating myself. We are seeing these changes first hand, and you will see them shortly when we publish the XPS 200 evaluation.
 
noobtech said:
Awesome point!!
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Not really, not even a relevant point, again I am impressed so many people here, many who apparently do not own a recent Dell PC can hold on to arguments that no longer apply. I have seen first hand with my recent purchase how Dell is making real changes, Chris is telling you the changes are taking effect, yet you guys continue to base your arguments on old facts and notions.
 
Chris_Morley said:
We look to evaluate as many Dells as we can, and yes, that will include the XPS 600 but we do not have one at this time.
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well yeah i figured, but priority wise i also figured you'd probably tackle the most gaming focused 600 first. i'm actually surprised that you even still intend to do it at this point, since that newer XPS at E3 seems like it will be coming out soon and replacing the 600 series.
 
spincut said:
well yeah i figured, but priority wise i also figured you'd probably tackle the most gaming focused 600 first. i'm actually surprised that you even still intend to do it at this point, since that newer XPS at E3 seems like it will be coming out soon and replacing the 600 series.
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Very true - I have just been used to referring to the XPS 600, but yeah, the "next gen XPS" is on our radar.
 
Chris_Morley said:
How is it charging a premium? These programs are money makers for Dell. When people extend the trial offer, Dell gets a cut. I don't follow your logic. They haven't raised prices because of this. If by charging a premium you mean they aren't offering it on their B series, well, I don't know what to tell you.
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I mean that you have to buy a pricier machine in order to get a clean install without the "value added" crap. You pay a premium for the privilege of not having to uninstall the bloatware.

Its extortion. :D
 
xbob04 said:
Not really, not even a relevant point, again I am impressed so many people here, many who apparently do not own a recent Dell PC can hold on to arguments that no longer apply. I have seen first hand with my recent purchase how Dell is making real changes, Chris is telling you the changes are taking effect, yet you guys continue to base your arguments on old facts and notions.
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Why isnt it a relevent point? And why do you mean by it no longer applies? Thats an out and out lie.
 
seanbear said:
I mean that you have to buy a pricier machine in order to get a clean install without the "value added" crap. You pay a premium for the privilege of not having to uninstall the bloatware.

Its extortion. :D
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I guess you could say that about a lot of things, if you wish to look at it that way. Perhaps they should have just kept all that crap on there to make it fair to the people that buy a $300 PC? Perhaps it isn't fair that you have to pay a premium to get a faster computer, too - all PC's should just be $300, including dual core SLI machines...

There are people that want software installed on their PC. They want card games, and photo management, and other little things that they feel SHOULD be installed on their computer. But gamer's don't - and since gamers are looking to buy a higher end system to play games, they have decided to start there.
 
lovemyPC said:
I hate to write this, but I'm a little disappointed with your article. I saw none of the incisive critique or questions that I value and look forward to in your work. To me this read more like advertorial than editorial, with [h] reporting on everything they'd seen and promoting it, but not asking any questions.
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Unfortunately, I arrived at the same conclusion. The article definately felt like cheap advertising more than an editorial. All of a sudden Dell has excellent technical support again? Dell cannot and will not be cosidered a top gamers box until it sells AMD processors and moves away from proprietary motherboards, allowing thier customers more flexibility. Just because they start using PC anywhere type software and remove crapware that shouldn't be there in the first place, does not mean things at Dell are changing for the better. This article was wasteful and unnecessary :eek:
 
Coolmanluke said:
Unfortunately, I arrived at the same conclusion. The article definately felt like cheap advertising more than an editorial. All of a sudden Dell has excellent technical support again? Dell cannot and will not be cosidered a top gamers box until it sells AMD processors and moves away from proprietary motherboards, allowing thier customers more flexibility. Just because they start using PC anywhere type software and remove crapware that shouldn't be there in the first place, does not mean things at Dell are changing for the better. This article was wasteful and unnecessary :eek:
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Thanks for your thoughts, they are noted.
 
Coolmanluke said:
Unfortunately, I arrived at the same conclusion. The article definately felt like cheap advertising more than an editorial. All of a sudden Dell has excellent technical support again? Dell cannot and will not be cosidered a top gamers box until it sells AMD processors and moves away from proprietary motherboards, allowing thier customers more flexibility. Just because they start using PC anywhere type software and remove crapware that shouldn't be there in the first place, does not mean things at Dell are changing for the better. This article was wasteful and unnecessary :eek:
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I think you over value what the hardcore gaming market really impacts these days, as the vast majority of the gaming market is focussed on console gamers. The fact that a major OEM like Dell is admitting they have messed up in the past and want to regain the respect and trust of gamers is a pretty bold statement. Pleasing people who fall for the marketing hype of the hardcore gamer label is pretty tough even for boutique dealers that cater to them, let alone a mass market OEM.

Basically the only way you can be pleased is if Dell starts selling barebones AMD boxes with no pre-loaded software, but that space is already fairly crowded and judging by Dell's overall sales I doubt they would bother with it. I think it is safe to say Dell has far more impact on gaming than you like to admit, and the steps they have taken are in the right direction. Bottom line, with a decent video card you can certainly game on a Dell PC (or an HP, a Compaq, e-Machine, etc...). It might not get you leet kudos around here, but that doesn't matter much in the real world. And most people that buy PCs from an OEM like Dell really don't care about proprietary motherboards and cases either, they want a fast, stable PC that works well out of the box and provides decent support. Dell is making strides in the right direction and I seriously doubt there is anything they could do that would please the "uber leet" of the world.

Honestly, I see a lot of posturing around here, but the fact that Dell nods to gamers with the XPS and MS is promising a better gaming experience with Vista is the best news we have had in a long time. And you can bet they are most worried about the mainstream gamer with more moderate expectations in the long run. Think about what most people want and not what you demand and then you can admit Dell is headed in the right direction. Likewise, stop taking shots at Chirs because he left his Dell experience with a positive feeling. You guys keep insinuating that this article was paid for, you don't come right out and say it, but it is in the air. So would you rather have Chris slam a company when they do something right or tell us how he really feels? If you trust [H] and Chris I assume you would prefer her post his honest experience and not bias his article to appease the elitist.
 
Chris_Morley said:
I guess you could say that about a lot of things, if you wish to look at it that way. Perhaps they should have just kept all that crap on there to make it fair to the people that buy a $300 PC? Perhaps it isn't fair that you have to pay a premium to get a faster computer, too - all PC's should just be $300, including dual core SLI machines...

There are people that want software installed on their PC. They want card games, and photo management, and other little things that they feel SHOULD be installed on their computer. But gamer's don't - and since gamers are looking to buy a higher end system to play games, they have decided to start there.
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Kind of a screwy analogy isnt it? Paying more for more makes sense. Paying more for less does not. I am well aware that there are people who would like the extra software. Fine. Why not make it optional?
 
seanbear said:
Kind of a screwy analogy isnt it? Paying more for more makes sense. Paying more for less does not. I am well aware that there are people who would like the extra software. Fine. Why not make it optional?
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Once you understand that Dell makes less money when they include less software, it might make a bit more sense to you.
 
That didn't really make sense to me either until I realized that they are making less by not putting the software extras on their machines. BTW, I saw you in a magazine man! You're famous. haha
 
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