Dell kills the XPS brand

Weird, isn’t that the only Dell brand people view as worth having?

Better headline: Dell kills all brands

Given that Dell has lost most of it's old reputation in the last couple of years, not surprising that radical moves were taken. Trying to navigate Dells product range was a quick way to get a headache.

Weird. I thought XPS was a pretty well known brand.

simplified naming scheme with labels like ‘Pro’ and ‘Max.’

How is that "simplified"? Which one is better, Pro or Max?

Actual simplified naming would probably be names like "Basic", "Business", "Gaming", or numbers like what Intel does with Core 3/5/7/9.

AMD now has "Max" chips and Dell now has "Pro" and "Max" laptops.

Everyone copying Apple.

what the fuck?

why kill your best brand?

ohhh...because you outsourced your entire product development teams to "offshore units" and haven't innovated since 2015.

replacing them with three main product lines: Dell (yes, just Dell), Dell Pro, and Dell Pro Max.

PC/Android companies not trying to blatantly rip off Apple challenge: Impossible

Wait, "Dell Pro max" isn't a joke? Or at least not an intentional one?

In the future, it means we can also expect product names like Dell Pro Max Plus.

oh I can't wait for 2030 to get my new Dell Pro Max Plus Most Biz VIP Tip Top Rizz

I'd like people to actually read the article before commenting. They are renaming their laptops. They'll continue producing what would've been XPS.

The newest generation of xps i shit anyways, good riddance.

i was really happy with my 2019ish xps. But the 2024 one is hot garbage. not just that it arrived with the keyboard not working and Dell taking 3 months to replace it. There's a total of 2 usb-c ports on it. That's all the connectors, yes. No, no headphone jack either. And one of those two is taken up with charging, so i'm left with one port if i dont use a dockingstation.

the whole function bar is touch now. you need to hit it 3 times for it to react, who needs Esc anyways. Unless you want to type in the number row, then the function row will pick up random key presses sometimes.

Copilot key no one asked for. Power button is just an unlabelled piece of plastic that looks like filler, not a button. Keyboard sucks in general, too little space between keys, you're bound to mistype.

linux support is ok, though webcam doesn't work in firefox, hibernate doesn't work, every few weeks it'll just freeze. But otherwise acceptable.

definitely my last dell, i really hate it.

[Edit] Oh and I forgot the best part, when the dell repairman finally repaired it after 3 months, he said "oh a new XPS? Yeah, those suck, every customer hates them especially for software development"

The latest XPS laptops really seem like they wanted to copy MacBook Pros from a few years ago with the touch function keys and the barren I/O.

I never really understood the purpose of the XPS line anyway. If you want performance, buy a Precision; if you want a light robust laptop with decent I/O, get a Latitude; if you want a MacBook, get a MacBook.

With that being said the new naming scheme sounds like a joke.

Yes, I’ll take one Dell Pro Max Premium please. Heck, while we’re it, please make it a Dell Pro Max Premium Ultra Deluxe with Extra Sprinkles.

How prescient Orwell turned out to be.

Premium Pro Max Doubleplus Good.

There are actually people getting paid for this shit

Are they just sitting in a group in multiple meetings to brainstorm new names for stuff?

And I thought just managers are parasites...

Well that sucks. I haven't bought an XPS since the Dell XPS 15z like over a decade ago, but still, the idea that I could buy an XPS Developer Edition laptop and have it be Linux compatible without having to think about it was nice. Now I'm limited to ThinkPads and System76 plus whatever other compatible Clevos there are or maybe a Framework, which I guess is fine since I do own multiple ThinkPads.

Still, really weird decision.

Dear random strangers,

I have bought Thinkpad T for many years following your advice. Then I moved to Dell Latitude 3 years ago as this was your recommendation. So far, very happy with them!

Where should I go for my next laptop? Is it time for framework?

(I'm looking for 14" business laptops, excellent screen, good audio, light and solid, performance is a nice-to-have, Linux-only)

So many corporations have used the words "Pro" and "Max" that they have now become meaningless.

Looks like I won't be getting a Dell anytime soon. Shame. I loved my last XPS before they decides to nuke the ports with just two USB-C.

I guess it streamlines the naming a little bit, but it sounds like the mapping of the hardware to the names is still a mess. I've used XPS laptops for years, but had already decided my next would be a Framework. This just reinforces that decision.

I remember the XPS Was "Ubuntu Certified" thats what i think when i first see the Laptop.

I always found the build quality for Lenovo Thinkpads to be better than any of the top tier Dell laptops. Most of the laptops I had in circulation were Dells and the always gave me problems. The Thinkpads just worked.

Land of marketing and advertising, gotta ruin everything. RIP XPS, good little machines.

My late-aughts XPS is a gem - milled aluminum, edge-to-edge glass, and the best laptop keyboard ever since Ye Olde Thinkpads. The glory days of chasing Apple with a Windows box and almost getting there. *pours 40*

That said, their QE went to shit, they pulled that bullshit RTO to soft-layoff everyone, laid off everyone else directly, and spent a ton to hire non-US replacements who aren’t up to speed so they can leverage the exciting benefits of AI (lol).

I’ll never understand why they didn’t put huge effort into backing linux when micro$oft started making hardware. Well - I know why they didn’t. Because they make poor managerial decisions. C’est ça.

At least it will be clear which one is high tier and which is the opposite. Precision and latitude are incomparable except one reads their specs. Also, I assume they aren't touching G-series and that's the only one that matters to me:) G15 is just an amazing product.

"Dell shoots itself in the foot and will only realise in 3 years"

Intensely dumb.

I-- wow. I read this article and I have no idea what they're thinking. How does this simplify anything?!

But which of these new models will have AI?!

Resurrecting their commercials from the 90’s now, it would go like this:

Duuuude, you’re gettin’ a Dell.

Oh….. dang.

so honestly, who would you use now? I'd never buy HP, Acer, Lenovo. total crap machines. what other brands of laptop are any good going into 2025/2026? The XPS was always my go-to but now what options are remaining?

Ugh.

Now kill Dell entirely.

Something I think is a lot more interesting than them changing names of product lines is that almost all Dells ship with an OEM version of windows which reaches EoL faster, like 5 years sooner, and is more expensive to get a replacement disk image.

I had a tower about 10 years ago that I converted into a dinky little Linux Server, it worked really well all things considered.

If it matters to you, Michael Dell is pro-genocide:

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mdell_its-an-honor-to-stand-with-isaac-herzog-activity-7153858601525088256-xHo6/

Wait 'til they switch from Intel to their custom d1 CPUs.

I still remember when XPS was the premiere gaming brand Dell released to compete with the likes of Alienware, only for them to buy Alienware and relegate XPS to a higher budget multimedia catalog.

The names outstayed their welcome, but I cannot applaud them copying Apple's homework.