News Dell kills XPS and Optiplex brands, adopts Apple-inspired three-tiered naming scheme for its PCs

[Admin]

No more Inspirons or XPS for Dell as it rebrands its consumer products as Dell, business and enterprise become Dell Pro, and workstation devices get Dell Pro Max branding.

Dell kills XPS and Optiplex brands, adopts Apple-inspired three-tiered naming scheme for its PCs : Read more

 

[hotaru251]

"pro max" was already lame as frick on phones and its even more cringe on laptops...

 

[A Stoner]

XPS was the laptop that burned me out of the desire to ever replace my desktop. >$4,000 down the drain.

I got the second generation one, and it was worthless within 6 months.

 

[Jame5]

"pro max" was already lame as frick on phones and its even more cringe on laptops...

But what about pro max plus and pro max premium? Does that help at all?

 

[derekullo]

Dude you got a Dell Pro Max Premium!
... nope sounds terrible

 

[jlake3]

Oh god. Why not keep the names that carry weight in the tech world, and rename the trim levels to Base/Pro/Pro Max?

The Inspiron line had a bit of a mixed reputation but the XPS name means something even outside of tech circles, and "Inspiron/Inspiron Pro" and "XPS Pro"/"XPS Pro Max" are kinda goofy but workable?

"Latitude/Latitude Pro" and "Optiplex/Optiplex Pro/Precision Pro/Precision Pro Max" feels also a bit hokey, but easy enough to figure out as a product stack?

This Base/Pro/Pro Max + Base/Plus/Premium matrix gonna create a mess. Is a Dell Premium better than a Dell Pro? (Probably? That would be a loaded XPS against a low-end Latitude) How about a Dell Pro Premium versus a Dell Pro Max? (Unclear? That would be a loaded Optiplex or Latitude against a bottom-spec Precision under the old system... I think.) They all sound kinda similar, there's definitely gonna be some strange overlaps, no one intuitively knows how they all fit together... and I think Dell might overestimate how much people are attached to the Dell name versus XPS/Precision/Latitude.

 

[SocDriver]

Way to kill years of association with your brand line up Dell. Now every company ordering from you is going to need a conversion chart to understand what replaces XPS vs Optiplex.

 

[artk2219]

I agree, this is going to turn into a giant pain, in the past the names meant something, inspiron was consumer, latitude was business, precision was workstations, xps was the experimental stuff. The models that came after told you the generation, screen size, and an idea of what CPU was in it. Now it seems like the name wont tell you anything and you'll have to look at the service tag for everything, what a pain for no reason.

 

[drtweak]

Is this only for laptops? If so it would be Inspiron, Latitude, XPS not Optiplex.

I can maybe see this being under the Home/Gaming line, but common leave the business line alone. I mean the Vostro can just go. I'm ok with that, but we sell Optiplexs and Percisions like crazy. So say Dell Pro or Pro Max is like okk. And then what kind of numbering will be there to determine generation etc? I love how anyone can read me the model and I'll know roughly how old it is.

 

[derekullo]

Instead of Optiplex, Latitude, Inspiron and XPS for Dell models. Make up 4 other models that correspond to those and would convey to customers what they were buying!

ChatGPT said:​

Certainly! Here are 4 made-up Dell laptop model names that convey a sense of the product's capabilities or target audience:

1. Dell Horizon (Replaces Latitude)
   Target Audience: Business professionals and those needing productivity-focused laptops. The name "Horizon" evokes a sense of exploration, forward-thinking, and expansive opportunities, suitable for work on-the-go.
2. Dell Apex (Replaces Inspiron)
   Target Audience: General consumers, students, and home users looking for an affordable yet capable laptop. "Apex" suggests a peak or top-tier experience, appealing to users looking for versatile performance at a reasonable price.
3. Dell Velocity (Replaces XPS)
   Target Audience: Premium users, gamers, and content creators who need high performance, cutting-edge design, and technology. "Velocity" implies speed, precision, and high performance, making it ideal for high-demand tasks like gaming or video editing.
4. Dell ProLine (Replacing Optiplex)
   Target Audience: Business professionals, offices, and work environments.
   Description: "ProLine" suggests professionalism and reliability for corporate or enterprise use, focusing on robust, efficient, and scalable computing solutions.

Besides getting sued by VMware, still a better idea than Dell's!

 

[why_wolf]

Nice and all but ultimately the problem with the old names is they meant nothing. Dell would sell garbage under the top tier name and sell something good under the garbage name. All the time. You could not rely on the name or model number to indicate what quality level their laptops were.

What matters is maintaining consistency over time. ie Dell is cheap plastic case i5 or lower. Pro is better plastic case i5 or higher. Max is metal case i7 or higher.

I have zero faith in them sticking the landing. Since it seems like a huge portion of their business is tricking people into buying a lower tier product after bamboozling them with their naming schemes.

 

[pug_s]

Dell eliminating XPS and Optiplex brands is as stupid as if Apple will eliminate mac or iphone brands.

 

[Notton]

IMO, Dell's previous naming scheme was very 2000's and outdated.
This rename fixes the outdated issue.
It's pretty cringe though.

 

[emike09]

Oh, I hate everything about this naming convention. I have a lot of negative thoughts, but I'll keep them at bay until I actually see their listings and lineups.

I'll just say those models look like crap plastic Chromebooks, as I glance with sultry eyes at my slick metal Latitude 9440 2-in-1.

 

[wr3zzz]

What this means is that Dell no longer sells enough units to justify so many sub-brands. Detroit did the same rebranding and that did not stop their market share decline.

 

[bigdragon]

I thought it was Inspiron, XPS, Latitude, and Precision....not Optiplex -- that's a desktop. Simplifying things is a good call.

Did Dell get rid of those terrible XPS keyboards with the touch function keys? I don't see them in the image. That appears to be the best part of this announcement!