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Dell To Phase Out XPS Machines

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According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Dell will begin phasing out its XPS line of high-end desktop gaming PCs from the beginning of June.

Dell’s XPS line is comprised of four models and can cost from $1,199 up to more than $7K.

The report claimed that XPS sales were eating into the market share of Dell’s subsidiary Alienware and said the new strategy is part of Dell’s broader turnaround effort.

Last year Dell fell behind rival HP in PC sales and obviously, touting two different lines of gaming machines wasn’t doing them any favours when it came to profit. Dell has said it will phase out the XPS and focus on what it feels is its premium line. The report also hints that we’ll soon see some new designs for Alienware based on new materials that go beyond the traditional Alienware design.

Dell acquired Alienware in March of 2006 however Alienware continues to develop and market it’s own products whilst leveraging the financing and purchasing power of Dell. Prior to the acquisition Alienware was one of the main competitors for the XPS.

The announcement comes as quite the surprise given that it wasn’t too long ago that the world was introduced to the XPS 730 H2C. The company only officially announced the machine at the beginning of the month so we’re wondering what it is that made them decide to pull the XPS line just a few weeks after the launch of the latest addition to the family, a machine Dell is describing as “one of the most advanced gaming platforms on the planet”.

Either way if you’re a fan of XPS you should probably get ready to say your goodbyes because starting June, it looks like it’s all Alienware.

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4 Comments Comment from the forums
  • DoMTaR
    They are phasing out XPS due to the fact that they canned or *let go* all of their premium technicians across north america. Nobody is left to support them except india/philippines.
    Reply
  • jcwbnimble
    Who is running Dell? Whoever it is, they should be fired! What idiot has his company invest in a new product extension and then pulls the plug on it just weeks after it's launch? For that matter, what idiot buys a performance brand and then starts a line of products to compete with it? I'm just glad I don't own any Dell stock.

    I used to buy exlusively from Dell, and would recommend it to anyone that asked. Not any more. I work for the IT department of a large school district and have had too many problems with Dell's since we swithced from Apple products.

    We purchased 50 Optiplex SX280's about 3 years ago. I had 10 die in the last two months. The final one died just days before the warranty ended. a 20% failure rate is not acceptable in my book, epsecially since most PCs die either in the first 10 hours of operation or long after their useful lifespan has expired (i.e. 5-7 years).

    I realize this is more a rant on Dell, but it goes to the article's point. Dell is being poorly run. My district purchased laptops for every 5-12 grade student, totally several thousand units. The laptops have been such a disaster that the district is now purchasing HPs for any Dells that need replacing.

    I actually had a Dell tech rep tell me that the cheap Dell laptops are not built sturdy enough for dailly use. "If you purchase a $500-$600 Dell laptop for dailly use, expect it to fall apart in less than a year." Those were his exact words.

    Ne/net for me; I won't buy a Dell. This is coming from my personal experiences as an IT guy, as an experienced computer user, and as a personal consumer.
    Reply
  • gm0n3y
    Who cares? Build your own PC. I can understand for business / government just buying from Dell, but for a gaming machine, DIY is the way to go.
    Reply
  • Ratbait
    jcwbnimbleWho is running Dell?
    Isn't it Michael? Who thought it would be a good idea to go on vacation and leave the company in the hands of someone who didnt know what a computer was, just how to loose market share. And when Michael woke up from his jet lagged hang over he said, lets buy AW since they know how to do this thing better than we do.

    And just for the hell of it lets compete with our own and see what happens.

    And as HP and Voodoo go hand in hand into the sunset, Michael again is left on the beach with his thumbs stuck up his butt trying to figure why he is now number 3 right behind who would have guessed E-machines (Gateway)?

    Vacation time has long gone Michael time to get serious or get out of the kitchen.
    Reply