Dell aims at MacBook Pro with XPS M1530
updated 09:05 am EST, Tue November 27, 2007
Dell XPS M1530
Dell today completed the overhaul of its XPS notebook line by introducing the XPS M1530. The system is one of Dell's few high-end 15-inch notebooks and is aimed at the same audience that would otherwise seek slim, stylized portables such as Apple's MacBook Pro: the minimalist system is 0.9 inches deep at its thinnest point and uses a slot-load optical drive (like the M1330) in place of the usual tray-loading option. A minimum 128MB GeForce 8400M GS graphics chip provides dedicated 3D acceleration even on the least expensive model, which also includes a 2-megapixel webcam and a fingerprint reader.
A base system starts at as little as $999 by using a 1.5GHz Core 2 Duo, 1GB of memory, and a 120GB hard disk backed by a DVD burner. Buyers can custom-order the notebook, however, to use as much as a 2.6GHz Core 2 Duo as well as 4GB of memory, 250GB of storage, a Blu-ray burner, and faster 256MB GeForce 8600M GT graphics. The M1530 can be colored with a black, red, or white outer shell and is available to order today, but should ship by mid-December.
Senior User
Joined: Apr 2000
Not really that similar
One the one hand, this has a paltry 1280x800 resolution on that 15 inch screen (HUGE pixels) making it a MacBook competitor, and on the other hand it has dedicated graphics making it more of a MacBook Pro competitor.
Other than that, it doesn't fare very well. Against the MacBook the processor speed and integrated features are lagging - the only advantage is the screen size and a slightly larger hard drive. Against the MacBook Pro, you have to jack up the built-in processor significantly, and you'll never be able to match the screen.
As usual, the PC crowd will crow "$999 for a 15-inch laptop - Macs are expensive!", while it's far from comparable.