From: kludge@panix.com   
      
   Retrograde   wrote:   
   >Dell has announced it’s rebranding literally its entire product line, so   
   >mainstays like XPS, Latitude, and Inspiron are going away. They’re replacing   
   >all of these old brands with Dell, Dell Pro, and Dell Pro Max, and within each   
   >of these, there will be three tiers: Base, Plus, and Premium. Of course, the   
   >reason is “AI”.   
      
   This is confusing.   
      
   Which is the one made as cheaply as possible so the fans and electrolytic   
   caps fail five years down the road?  That used to be the Optiplex, what is   
   it now?   
      
   Which is the rackmount server that is I/O performance driven?  Which is   
   the one that is CPU driven?  It took me years to figure out Dell's   
   language... but which one is it now?   
      
   >We’ve also made it easy to distinguish products within each of the new   
   >product categories. We have a consistent approach to tiering that lets   
   >customers pinpoint the exact device for their specific needs. Above and   
   >beyond the starting point (Base), there’s a Plus tier that offers the most   
   >scalable performance and a Premium tier that delivers the ultimate in   
   >mobility and design.   
      
   I want the ultimate in one thing but not the ultimate in another.  I want a   
   10G network device but I don't want a GPU or an ILO.  In fact, I'll pay   
   extra to not have a GPU or ILO....   
      
   >Setting aside the nonsensical reasoning behind the rebrand, I do actually kind   
   >of dig the simplicity here. This is a simple, straightforward set of brand   
   >names and tiers that pretty much anyone can understand. That being said, the   
   >issue with Dell in particular is that once you go to their website to actually   
   >buy one of their machines, the clarity abruptly ends and it gets confusing   
   >fast. I hope these new brand names and tiers will untangle some of that mess   
   to   
   >make it easier to find what you need, but I’m skeptical.   
      
   It took years to figure out the old names.  Now I have to figure them all   
   out all over again?   
   --scott   
   --   
   "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."   
      
   --- SoupGate-DOS v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)