Dell: Adamo XPS really a "limited edition" near its end
updated 01:50 pm EST, Tue March 9, 2010
Dell claims never meant Adamo XPS to last
Dell today provided an official explanation for the disappearance of the Adamo XPS from most of its online stores. The Texas PC builder in a statement now argues that the ultraportable is actually "similar to a limited edition" and was never designed to be a long-term product. It was an "engineering marvel" meant to show what Dell could do and is simply nearing the end of its run, the company claimed.
It notes that the system is still in stock at Best Buy, albeit only in a higher-priced $2,000 trim versus the originally announced $1,800.
The statements contradict Dell's own positioning of the Adamo XPS when it launched just at the end of 2009. At the time, the company had given the 13-inch system a comparatively regular unveiling and never stated that it would be available in limited quantities. Many have observed that the system has likely seen low sales as it was priced $300 above the base Adamo 13 despite no speed advantage and focusing chiefly on claiming the title of the world's thinnest notebook at about 0.4 inches thick.
At the same time, the company also hasn't said if or when it will update the Adamo 13, which remains on sale but sells at half the price it did a year earlier. Both systems were marketed conspicuously as MacBook Air rivals but initially started at higher prices and, except for the highest-end Adamo 13 model, run slower ultra-low voltage processors versus the mid-tier Core 2 Duo S in Apple's portables.
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Joined: Sep 1999
Translation
Dell can't make and sell those at a profit - it was just a PR stunt.