Don't Call It A MacBook Air Killer, But Do Complement Dell's Carbon Fiber Ass

Dell's new XPS 13 ULTRABOOK screams into Dell.com with some big ideas about being "premium in every way." But a recent conversation with a Dell-io led me to believe, "It's not competing with the AIR. We're not even in the same markets as Apple." Um… Yeah…

<sarcasm > And you know, it doesn't look a thing like an AIR either. </sarcasm >

Brushed Aluminum. Wait, you mean all the XPS laptops are brushed aluminum?

Well, you have to give it to Dell, they copy Apple quite well.

Even down to the edge to edge black glass and splashy graphics on the screen.

So kudos to Dell for getting a bunch of things right. I think the carbon fiber base is a nice touch. Maybe it'll be big with all the carbon fiber bike enthusiasts I see rushing down the side of the highway.

And if you get on the Intel "UltraBook" bandwagon, this is a new level of performance. But the funniest thing about the XPS 13 was how it was named the best Ultrabook by Gizmodo.

Who wouldn't want a carbon fiber ass? I know I do.

Now all Dell has to do is eliminate the three other business computer laptop lines: Latitude, Precision, Vostro. (My Fix for Dell.com post: How To Fix Dell.com)

I wonder if Apple will call them UltraMacBookPros? Probably not.

Update: To be fair, here is Dvorak's take on his time with the XPS 13 from Dell: "Put the unit side-by side with a MacBook Air and you can see the family resemblance. I would assume they were made at the exact same factory in China using many common design elements, including the hinges. That said, it's got a much better-looking screen than the Air. By that, I mean there is no oversized bezel. This machine is only slightly larger than the 11-inch MacBook Air but sports a 13-inch screen, rather than an 11-inch. I would get this machine over the current Apple if given a choice. But I'm also a Windows user."  PCMAG (Comment: Yes if you have to use Windows, and you can't get away with running Parallels on a Mac, this machine is mighty tasty. And the price is right.

@jmacofearth (also seen on Google+: jmacofearth)
permalink: http://uber.la/2012/02/dell-xps-13/

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