Dell Inspiron 13R, 14R, 15R, 17R and M501R quietly surface
By Darren Murph 
posted May 3rd 2010 2:39AM
posted May 3rd 2010 2:39AM
It's hard to say at this point if this new spate of Inspiron machines are just region-specific lappies or totally new breeds of a tried-and-true original, but either way, they're alive and well on Dell's own website. So far as we can tell, the Dell Inspiron 13R, 14R, 15R, 17R and M501R are exactly like their non-R contemporaries save for a few choice options: the GPU assortment is far more robust on the new flavors, while there's a larger quantity of choices in the operating system, RAM and wireless departments. There's also word that a Dell Dock feature is built right into these, making it easier to access media for those who aren't exactly technically inclined. To quote Walt Mayo, vice president Dell Consumer Asia: "This is a laptop that moms will love and youths will desire." We can't say we fit that demographic in any way, shape, or form, but we can appreciate the "smudge-resistant palm rests, full-size, ergonomically-designed keyboard and stiffer frame" when compared to the other Inspirons. These seem to be available now over in Australia and New Zealand, which means that order pages could go live at any moment for the rest of planet Earth. [Thanks, Mitch]
RRRRRight
but seriously why don't they move these options to their non-R counterparts? may be confusing to most consumers.
Is it just me, or does Dell start restricting on how much customizations you can do on their consumer models? Many of their Core ix desktops and laptops are not configurable in terms of processor/memory/hard-drive, only allowing for bundled software/accessories for "customizations." I mean it sux, defeating the whole point of buying a Dell. I guess I continue paying attention only on their Latitude/Vostro/Optiplex lineup.
@pika2000 they want you to go higher end for those options. It's about product differentiation.
@Jacob1 Yeah, that's what Gateway was doing too, and look where they are now. Restricting customization defeats the whole point of buying stuff from Dell. There's already product differentiation by the lineup (inspiron, XPS, etc). Dell is failing.
@pika2000
this is probably the most unintelligent statement I've ever heard.
You can pretty much do whatever you want with the Studio ones. Inspiron is more for "regular" buyers who don't want to deal with all that customizing. Now if you want something nice and sturdy then you're stuck with the rather large Studio XPS 16 or a Latitude.
"This is a laptop that moms will love..." Is he planning to bomb the sale?
OH MY GOD! Its Bjork! Who wouldve guessed that?! Not me, thats for sure! We need a couple more paragraphs up in this bitch to make sure it looks okay. What do you think? Yeah. I figured as much.
from the actual engadget home page.
it has nothing to do with this article, but I thought it was funny.
By any chance of fate, do the laptops have switchable graphics ??
Could be their only redeeming factor....
Did anyone notice the AMD PHENOM II X4 in the Inspiron M501R?! Its the first sighting of Phenom II for mobile and NO ONE noticed?!
@fahdriyami
I noticed. It's surprising that Dell is the first to sell one of these considering they've been a very big backer of Intel in recent years.
@Brother Unit No 4
actually they've been trying to be more AMD friendly in recent years, back in the early part of last decade, they had an exclusivity deal with intel even though AMD's Athlon, was cheaper, faster, and more efficient, things like that are why intel got slapped with an anti competitive lawsuit
I passed on this until my conscious made me read this article....which I now regret having wasted my time. Dell, with all your resources, why won't you make something worth 15 seconds of purchasing decision time. BTW: My demographics: 30 year old alcoholic, living w/ parents, minimal income, can't really buy anything anyway so I try to convince my mom to buy herself (me) the gadget she always never knew she wanted. Wait a sec. I'm the perfect demographic for this product....Damn it, Dell, you got me again!
I love Dell laptops! Bought my first one three years ago and just bought another 2 months ago :)
Dell is the choice of laptop in the hood yo!
”a stiffer frame" when compared to the other Inspirons.
I'm sure this was a difficult engineering challenge…
They are also available in India. The prices at which these models are being offered, along with the Dell brand name, it's a sure-shot winner.
They are also available in India. The prices at which these models are being offered, along with the Dell brand name, it's a sure-shot winner.
Dell has burned me too many times, would never trust another Dell Computer.
I'm pretty sure the hinge on these things is like the newer Dell Mini 10.
What does the "R" stand for?
@DeFcOn
REAL computers
Naw, just kidding, but it would be funny if it did
Thumbs down on 720p screens.