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Dell launches Studio Hybrid mini-desktop range

editor said:
Err..hello? Where have I ever claimed that the Dell represents better value compared to less stylish alternatives?

Nowhere, that's where!
Personally, I use both thanks and always prefer to use my desktop at home rather than faffing about connecting/disconnecting monitors, USB peripherals, monitors, printers etc etc every time I take my laptop out.

But - hey! - that's just me and some people are happy using a laptop for everything, while others are just as happy having a desktop PC at home/in the office. And I imagine some of those will find the Dell a very attractive option.

What are you typing on now, btw?
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yes and if it's a desktop you want then the compactness of the Hybrid is made redundant by the size of the monitor not to mention the actual desk. the only thing it has going for it is looks (though i think they look like camp external hardrives) and even then when you factor in the cost of a monitor and all if you really had more money than sense you'd get an iMac.
 
editor said:
I'd buy it for my Mum, certainly.
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I'd prefer to get my mum something less tacky, infact if it was purely for looks i'd get my mum a Mac instead of lumbering her with a tacky attempt at a lifestyle product. if you are going to do poncy and aspirational atleast go to the kings of it ffs.
 
I don't like the look of these and would have no use for one either (being amply stocked with laptops and desktops) but I can see the point, which is amply demonstrated by this thread.

Commodification. The people on here talking about specs and prices -- bangs for one's buck -- are exactly the reason why manufacturers release this kind of product.

If all computers are basically similar apart from the funcitonal spec then the only way to compete is on price. Ultimately this is a mug's game which leads to a race to the bottom, with profits declining towards zero. Hence many suppliers' increasingly pushy attempts to sell extended warranties, bundled hardware and software, premium support, etc. They've got to make money somewhere if they're not making it on the base PC unit.

But if you release an unusual or unique machine, spec and price suddenly become a lot less important for people who like that design. You can't get it elsewhere. You might not even be able to get anything similar elsewhere.

So you pay for that particular machine at the price demanded, which probably represents several times more profit than for a more everyday machine.

While various manufacturers have done this down the years, the only surprise to me is that they don't do it more often. Whether you love them or loathe them, the masters of decommodification are Apple. You might not want a Mac, but if you do, there's only one company making them.
 
editor said:
It may comes as a shock to you, but some people like attractive, compact 'lifestyle' products that do the job just fine and are quite happy to pay a small premium for them.
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*smiles schweetly at Mac Mini sitting quietly in bookshelf*:cool:

*scowls over at beige backup hidden under Pervuvian throw* :hmm:

sometimes I have peeps come round and ask to use my computer...sometimes they ask where the fuck is it! :D

I've taken it into Linux User Group meetings and people have got all sulky with me over it....it's look ffs sake...sulked over how it looks!:rolleyes:...that and the fact that i don't have Windows on it...that really throws'em.:D
 
Iam said:
Their desktops, as I've already mentioned on this thread, are really well put together.

So, find me another one, please. :D
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What's wrong with Acer's build quality then? ;) They buy their cardboard and twine from the same places remember.

PS. it was some no name random brand from PC world, god only knows who made it.

But a decent laptop for that price? I showed you a 17" one for £15 more of near identical spec, from Dell.
 
untethered said:
I don't like the look of these and would have no use for one either (being amply stocked with laptops and desktops) but I can see the point, which is amply demonstrated by this thread.

Commodification. The people on here talking about specs and prices -- bangs for one's buck -- are exactly the reason why manufacturers release this kind of product.

If all computers are basically similar apart from the funcitonal spec then the only way to compete is on price. Ultimately this is a mug's game which leads to a race to the bottom, with profits declining towards zero. Hence many suppliers' increasingly pushy attempts to sell extended warranties, bundled hardware and software, premium support, etc. They've got to make money somewhere if they're not making it on the base PC unit.

But if you release an unusual or unique machine, spec and price suddenly become a lot less important for people who like that design. You can't get it elsewhere. You might not even be able to get anything similar elsewhere.

So you pay for that particular machine at the price demanded, which probably represents several times more profit than for a more everyday machine.

While various manufacturers have done this down the years, the only surprise to me is that they don't do it more often. Whether you love them or loathe them, the masters of decommodification are Apple. You might not want a Mac, but if you do, there's only one company making them.
Click to expand...

eh? Do you have a clue what commodification is?

Apart from that your point is pretty much spot on, you use some design to get mugs to pay over the price for looks. Now the thing is if you really care about looks then you'd be far better off buying a all in one Mac for a few quid more, otherwise your left with a normal desktop set up but with everything plugged into a silly wee base unit that looks comical next to a monitor.
 
revol68 said:
eh? Do you have a clue what commodification is?
Click to expand...

Unless anyone has a plausible dispute with my brief analysis of commodification in the PC market, yes.

revol68 said:
Apart from that your point is pretty much spot on, you use some design to get mugs to pay over the price for looks.
Click to expand...

You're missing the point. They're not paying "over the price for looks". They're paying for the looks, which give the product greater value for them.

revol68 said:
Now the thing is if you really care about looks then you'd be far better off buying a all in one Mac for a few quid more, otherwise your left with a normal desktop set up but with everything plugged into a silly wee base unit that looks comical next to a monitor.
Click to expand...

In your judgement. For many people, the Mac OS is the single biggest reason why they don't buy a Mac. For others, of course, it's the single biggest reason why they do.
 
Bob_the_lost said:
What's wrong with Acer's build quality then? ;) They buy their cardboard and twine from the same places remember.

PS. it was some no name random brand from PC world, god only knows who made it.

But a decent laptop for that price? I showed you a 17" one for £15 more of near identical spec, from Dell.
Click to expand...

Bearing in mind that my idea of decent laptop is sitting on my desk... ;)

Build quality on the cheapo ones is attrocious, ime.
 
ahh you are using the business studies model of 'commodity', i'm coming from a Marxist understanding.

they are paying over the price for looks in so much as they are paying more for poorer specs because of looks, of course if looks are your most important specification then yes you aren't paying over the price.

Well you can run windows on a mac and considering the spec of those Dell hybrids you aren't going to be doing much beyond media playback and webbrowsing on it, so the OS isn't much of an issue.
 
Iam said:
Anyone who thinks Ubuntu is better than OSX on the correct hardware is clearly mental... ;)
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The only reason I have this one is because the original owner thought it was sending her "loopy"...teh eveeels of electrickerry...when I picked it up it was lead shielded...and the Windows box I got from the same place...they'd bought it and refused to turn it on again after it tried to Update Automatically and they couldn't work out to turn Updates off... I offered to do it for them but they asked me to get a Mac for them instead...then about a year later I suggested I take the beige beast off've them because using as a coffee table wasn't that functional....even with the custom built plywood top!:D

The Mini I have was the 4th one tried out.:eek:..one was returned and they have the two others...one running Mac...the other Ubuntu....lowest spec possible EVER Minis...less electric devillery you see?!:D

Neither of them work fully as they should...but then neither of the owners like Updates...they like things the way they are...problems(quirks!) n all!:(
 
revol68 said:
I'd prefer to get my mum something less tacky, infact if it was purely for looks i'd get my mum a Mac instead of lumbering her with a tacky attempt at a lifestyle product.
Click to expand...
Specifically, what's "tacky" about it comopared to, say, the Mac Mini.

The grey one is nicely understated and the colourful ones will look more attractive in living rooms/small offices/bedrooms than a thumping great black/grey/silver box.
untethered said:
But if you release an unusual or unique machine, spec and price suddenly become a lot less important for people who like that design. You can't get it elsewhere. You might not even be able to get anything similar elsewhere.
Click to expand...
Hooray! Someone understands the market at last!
 
I'm not sure about the student analysis though, most students who are going to own a desktop and a laptop have got to be at least a little geeky. It's the kind of thing I can see my gran buying if she was left alone in somewhere like PC World. Even if she understood the specs, she would probably still pay more as it looked nicer.
 
Global_Stoner said:
I'm not sure about the student analysis though, most students who are going to own a desktop and a laptop have got to be at least a little geeky. It's the kind of thing I can see my gran buying if she was left alone in somewhere like PC World. Even if she understood the specs, she would probably still pay more as it looked nicer.
Click to expand...

It's a big generalisation, but in my experience older people tend to prefer desktop computers with their "proper" (ie. bigger) screens and keyboards.
 
Global_Stoner said:
I'm not sure about the student analysis though, most students who are going to own a desktop and a laptop have got to be at least a little geeky. It's the kind of thing I can see my gran buying if she was left alone in somewhere like PC World. Even if she understood the specs, she would probably still pay more as it looked nicer.
Click to expand...
Well, students come in all ages, shapes and sizes these days, but I can also see small businesses using them, as well as regular folks wanting something that takes up a lot less space (and looks less butt ugly) than a desktop PC for their living room/bedroom/home office whatever.

It's probably more powerful than my Thinkpad laptop, for example, and that's plenty fast enough for my everyday tasks.
 
so everyone is agreed that apart from it's "looks" it has nothing going for it and at the price it's at it isn't worth it even if i did like the look.
 
Iam said:
:)
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Well since no one seems to be able to make a case for the Hybrid that doesn't end up resting on it's looks rather than functionality I was just assuming we had a consensus.

If someone thinks it looks soo nice that they're more than happy to sacrifice functionality and pay more then that's fair enough, but it wouldn't stop me thinking they are muppets with shit taste.
 
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