Dell Adamo. Spare me

I just wanted to post a short comment about the Dell Adamo, which is Dell's entry into the "my computer is smaller and more expensive than your computer" sweepstakes. That is, this epic waste of time is meant to compete with Apple's epic waste of time, the Macbook Air.

JCXP explains the system's specs like so:

The Adamo is available in one of two configurations. The first boasting a 1.2Ghz Intel U9300 Core 2 Duo, 2GB DDR3 RAM, Intel X4500 graphics, a 128GB SSD, Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR and 802.11n wireless. For an additional $700, the second configuration bumps the processor up to a 1.4Ghz U9400 and adds an additional 2GB of RAM. Each configration ships with Windows Vista Home Premium and are available in either Pearl (Silver) or Onyx (Black).

Just to be clear, this is a notebook computer that starts at $2000 and goes up from there.

[sarcasm] This is exactly what's needed in the current economic climate. [/sarcasm]

*Sigh*.

You know what? I feel bad for Dell, I really do. They have a great product lineup, their best ever, and yet they continue to lose share with every passing day. But this machine is a ridiculous, Hummer-sized mistake. It attacks a niche that, frankly, is best left alone (and to Apple), especially given what's going on in the world these days. More generally, however, the Adamo is emblematic of what's wrong at Dell: They're so busy copying what they see as cool and hip that they've lost sight of the fact that they should be doing their own thing. Any product that is essentially a copy of something else (Linux, Zune, there are a million of them), there's something inherently less interesting about them. Because the companies that make them don't lead, they follow.

The Dell Adamo disgusts me. It's marketed like a Lexus. And you know what? Dell sells Toyotas. At best.

It's not even that nice looking. Oh, and the name stinks.

Geesh.

Discuss this Article 51

benjwah
on Mar 19, 2009
I love Dell, I've bought all my laptops from them and they've always been good, built well. The one I have at the moment is an Inspiron 6400, ugly as sin in my opinion and I'm hoping to upgrade to one of their Studio laptops soon. They look awesome and the available configurations are really good. That said, I'd agree with Paul: This one's not that good looking (ugly even), wrong computer for the wrong market at the wrong time. Wrong price too. And the name is stupid. I was amused by the page that said something along the lines of "Inspired by a love of engineering". More like "Inspired by the Macbook Air".

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