Dell Adamo gets $500 price drop, whole new lease on life
By Paul Miller 
posted Jul 21st 2009 4:05PM
posted Jul 21st 2009 4:05PM
[Via LogicBUY]
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I'd be very curious to know how well this has been selling.
it hasn't been.
The price drop should answer that question. I am usually behind Dell and I really like their products, but you can't win 'em all. This thing and that 19" all-in-one are just true crap. And no Ion netbook is a little crap too.
Those new Inspirons are pretty decent though...
A lot of what Dell offers makes good sense, economically and performance wise. But the Adamo? It's the most compelling reason for buying an airbook I can think of ... it's got a slow processor, mediocre graphics and is totally overpriced. What on earth was Dell thinking of? Did it think it could toss out a "style," not back it up with at least comparable performance and sell it for more than it's more polished competition?
Listen up Dell ... I'll gladly take half of whatever you paid the clowns who greenlighted this trainwreck. Let's talk.
We've always said Adamo wouldn't be a "volume" product but one that would be a brand builder … and for those who really appreciate the commitment to craftsmanship and design. People who have purchased Adamo love it. With a lower price, we're making that experience available to even more people.
@ GRAMMAR POLICE:
I actually own that '19" all-in-one' (it's actually 20") and it's the greatest thing I've ever bought. Seriously I love it. So I guess that proves that there's a market for everything.
@Alex
http://www.dell.com/us/en/home/desktops/desktop-studio-one-19/pd.aspx?refid=desktop-studio-one-19&s=dhs&cs=19
@John at dell
Why do you have to have a separation between cheap, crappy looking, bulky inspirons and gorgous, well engineered Adamos that are way overpriced? Wheres the middle ground? How about a 13-15" thin and lightweight laptop with great industrial design, decent specifications, and a decent price?
@ loosely_coupled Something like this? http://www.notebooks.com/2009/07/02/dell-inspiron-14z-notebook-unboxed/
@john
Nice try, but how 'bout one that has an optical drive? I still consider a computer that lacks that feature to be a sub-pc, so you haven't proved your point very well (to me, at least).
@ GRAMMAR POLICE:
Ah, I thought you were referring to the XPS M2010 "laptop" ( http://images.google.com/images?q=m2010 )
If I had wanted a desktop, I would have gotten something better than the XPS One. As a student, I needed something that I could easily fold up and bring home. As a musician and a web designer, I needed something with a big screen, and the detachable wireless keyboard has been a huge plus in the recording arena. Overall I figured the M2010 would be cheaper than getting a desktop and a laptop. Three years later I am still completely satisfied.
They should have better design in all their stuff. This idea that a nicely designed laptop is somehow akin to buying a Rolex is a joke.
I would like to see the Adamo in a Laptop hunter advert.
why is the processor such a low speed?
Umm? Good question, maybe because Dell hoped that someone would buy it at a ridicules price and have the least amount of power possible!, Wait that doesn't make sense?
Unless you like Apples.
ummm... actually the apple macbook air got a price cut too and it has a 2.1 ghz processor and a graphics chip upgrade... but of course you were probably just trolling...
Err because it's aimed toward highly mobile road warriors? The ones who would buy a MBA for it's long battery life.
The MacBook Air actually has decent specs now...and a decent price, still not as good as my MBP though =]
@dan
because the adamo's use ultra low voltage core 2 duos which naturally come at a lower clock speed
Still to much!
TOO.
two
Tau
Zwei
trop
tambien
ambian cr
ampil
C-c-c-combo breaker!
I love the style, but not the specs or the price. Wow, Dell made an Apple product!
That's what I first thought.
Maybe this shows that PC buyers are better bargain shoppers.
Actually, this is significantly more expensive than the Macbook Air, not to mention less sleek (okay, that's debatable), and far less powerful.
Except Dell found a way to drop the price $500.
Your right!! Only thing Dell has right on this is the beautiful case. Frankly I think the entire Apple product line although well built, is butt ugly.
Now if Dell priced this more like a netbook I'd buy one today. But theres no way anyone in there right mind is going to pay that much for what is essentially a nice looking netbook.
This is still insignificant, you can build a 2.6 GHZ, 6 GB RAM studio 17 for cheaper than this computer.
Dell, you set out to compete against the Air, not replicate it and call that a challenge.
I'm not an Air/Apple fan but to call this an 'Air' is a joke. The Air has a 9400M, and a faster CPU, the Air has also been selling for $1499 for months now which gets you a 1.86Ghz Core 2 Duo.
LOL!!!
Shows that PC buyers don't like overpriced computers.
I hope you do realize that Studio 17 is a frigging 17 INCH screen laptop?!
Ye, MacBook Air has faster processor. On the other hand this has eSata and 3 usb ports and most importantly ethernet port.
I wouldn't buy either, adamo for processor and air for crippled connectivity.
Still sucks compared to the Air. 1.86GHz in a REAL core 2 duo smacks this little 1.2GHz pea-shooter silly. And 9400m versus GMA4500? Ho please.
I agree. this laptop is just worthless at that price.
i really like the finish on it..wish i could just buy the case for my laptop
The casing is nice, except for that raised backing.
Also... exactly HOW much thinner is this than the 13" mbp. I'm sure it can't be more than a few mm when closed. Who's got the specs?
the Adamo is 0.3" thinner than the 13" MBP i believe it is 0.11" thinner than the MBA, but that i'm unsure about
We are getting closer to my buy price Dell.
At $1299 I might just break out the plastic.
Could be a really sweet Win 7 laptop
Why don't you get the macbook air instead ? MUCH better deal, which is kind'of odd since its apple ha ha. Oh and since you don't like the $1,499 price point, just get a refurbished one for $999. Oh and just because it says refurbished doesn't mean its bad, im fairly sure they replace all of the casing and all that jazz so it's basically brand new.
13.3-inch glossy widescreen display
2GB memory
80GB 4200-rpm PATA hard drive
Built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
Built-in iSight Camera
http://store.apple.com/us/product/FB003LL/A?mco=MjE0NDk5Mw
Wait for the new Inspiron 13 (not out in the us yet) it's supposed to be ~0.8" and start around $800....it also has some better processor and graphics options, or so i've heard
Drop it another $500 and I might consider it.
Now put in a more tolerable processor and you've got a deal!
I'm missing something here..... $1500 for a 1.2GHz machine and there is no Apple logo on it? What's the reason?
It's aimed at the Paris Hiltons of this world, silly!
@Zane: But it doesn't have enough diamonds and crystals for her....it needs to be covered!
It's pretty sexy and all, but with that underpowered processor, I'd only consider buying it if it dropped another $500.
Amazingly enough if you compare this new price to the MacBook Air Apple actually wins on value at the same price point:
Faster CPU (1.8ghz)
Better graphics (9400)
Weight (Air is -2lbs lighter)
I'm all for more competition in the premium laptop market but Dell has to compete more aggressive on price or performance.
Forget at the same price point, if I'm not mistaken, the $1,799 Air is more powerful then the $2,299 Adamo, and it comes with an SSD, too.
"Weight (Air is -2lbs lighter)"
The Dell is 4 lbs. The Apple is 3 lbs. I didn't think basic math was that hard.
Forget at the same price point, if I'm not mistaken, the $1,799 Air is more powerful then the $2,299 Adamo, and it comes with an SSD, too.
Actually, the $1499.00 MacBook Air (1.86Ghz) is more powerful than the $2299.00 Dell (1.4Ghz) - but you don't get a solid-state HDD, nor do you get an optical drive with the Mac.
Seriously, Dell is the worse PC manufacturer in the industry! Who wants them? I will only get dell computer only if they r free!
so, its more competitive against the MBA, but still uselessly weak for the proposition. what you lose in business-chic you gain in value with a X series MSI win
Not bad.
and they think this would help???
I'm looking at getting one of these next year when I start college. I really don't want an Apple Air, but if the specs on the Dell are not equivalent to the Air I guess it's my next alternative unless Voodoo can turn their ultra slim around. Plus I have to say with these ultra slim laptops I wish they could put the USB ports in a better place. Overall I think the Dell Adamo looks a lot better with its black aluminum finish.
Don't bother dude. Get a good-size and well powered laptop for ~1000 and then get a 10 or 12 in netbook for 450 or so. It will still be cheaper than getting one of these underpowered money-holes.
Get a real computer either Dell E4200 or Lenovo X200s.
I see Dell's been copying from Sony's notes.
They both come with 128GB SSD drives.
"I liked the Dell, but it was out of my price range. That MacBook is sweet, lots of ram and it's cheaper."
I'm a Mac because I care what I buy"
You're an idiot for calling yourself a computer.
I think Dell spent too much on R&D for this thing. If they just ripped the MBA like MSI did then it wouldn't have to be so expensive.
Price was the number two drawback. The number one drawback still stands.
I thnik it should be $799
I second that!
Yea,
And maybe we will get the states prices somewhere around Christmas - just in time for Apple's holiday season discounts..
Drop it down by 50% to $749 or something and I'll consider it... until then, Macbook does seem like a much better option (and I am hardcore anti-Mac!)
a macbook pro is better
They created a "me too" product that's "me less." Terrible business model either create something amazing or out beat the competition w/ pricing or power. The do neither..... bring that pricing point down more Dell or go back to the drawing board.
This product has FAIL written all over it. It doesn't matter what it's made of, because there's NO value here, and this is made worse by the current economy. If you can't even price this less than the MacBook Air, there's no point in competing in this space. A common thread is that "Apple is more expensive", which is often true, but in this instance it's the clear winner head-to-head.
Do the Dell thing and allow some customization. It'd cost a whole lot less if it had a 32GB SSD or a spinner of some sort.
I'd prefer to stroll into the boardroom toting a Thinkpad reserve edition, not this or an MBA.
If it was around 800 with a beefier CPU I'd pick one up for DJ'ing. Or 2 (one for Ableton, one for Traktor).
But hey, who cares about that. I'll just keep on sporting mah x60 until it fails or doesn't properly support my softwares anymore.
I mean come on anyone who gets any actual work done gets a Thinkpad. We don't carry little Aluminum joke toys. That's for Coke cans and cheap crap masquerading as "high-end". I'll stick with lighter, stronger magnesium alloy and carbon fiber, thank you.
Disclaimer: Not a fanboy of any kind.
I like the design of the Adamo but sorry Dell, this is still $300 more expensive than a 13 inch Macbook Pro with about the same thickness and Apple somehow still managed to keep an optical drive in there. Even if I added an extra 2GB of DDR3 ram from Apple the Macbook still comes out as the better deal @ $1300. I'm all for the slim laptops and competition...and at least Dell is trying...have you seen bulky plastic clunkers from everyone else? I wonder if Dell can apply the Adamo design to the XPS 16 series laptops...
Optical drive? Where? Get your facts straight.
re:sr
He was comparing to the 13" MacBook Pro not the MacBook Air.
i have one of the studio xps 16 laptops and i love it but would be nice if it vere made out of metal and a little bit thinner. but it makes up for that by having leather. it seriously is pimp. if the adamo had leather... wow, that would be one sweet laptop.
*yawn*
needs another $500 drop
for those of you out there who want to compare the Dell Adamo and Macbook Air, here you go.
http://www.tvlesson.com/video/34928_new-dell-adamo.html
still way too much. shame, as I'm a dell fan. pooh
I was a Dell fan for ~14 years (mainly Optiplex and Latitude), but my virtually brand new Studio XPS 1340 with Vista just went back after too many post-Vista-update problems (my 2nd problematic Dell), so after being DOS/Windows since 1.0/3.1, I'm Applified with an iMac and the 2.13 GHz MBA. And loving it.
The number one drawback is the weight. It's a pig. Lenovo X301 is 3.2lbs.
I just looked and you only get a 1.2GHz processor and you MUST get the $2299 if you want all of a whole 1.4Ghz. The warranty is 1 YEAR!!! What a joke. Real joke of a machine built for poseurs.
Or you could buy a different laptop that has some spunk for far less.
@ Jollyllama We've got that feature covered with the Inspiron 14 http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/laptop-inspiron-14?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19
It's still $2499 in Canada!
I just got one for $1080 from dell outlet, can't wait to see it.