Dell support has tanked over the last 1-2 yrs. I understand their corporate support is handled in-house or uses another supplier, and remains acceptable. But most of my customers are small business or home, and the collective opinion and loyalty doesn't tell a positive story. Those who still wave the Dell flag either have corporate accounts or they haven't had problems recently.
An exception is one customer who called today wanting a "Dell laptop for reliability." Surprise. They've been buying low-end eMachines boxes for the last two years and remember their 6yr-old Dell tanks.
Remember, the stuff is now all manufactured by and from the Pac Rim. The systems are variations on the same theme from ODMs who shop their product around to the box hawkers who slap on "unique" plastics. They then add the usual co-marketing software and cables and sell with a couple screen and storage options. No magic*. If a company like Dell or HP doesn't have the combination of product and support offering that works for you then any brand loyalty is irrational. They've all shipped good and horrible systems, often at the same time. Learn a bit about the pieces and take your stab.
Especially for laptop purchases I like to point people to local dealers because it's so much simpler to exchange or upgrade. In my opinion it's more cost effective to pay another $100 for the box than to ship systems back and forth in the mail while you decide, or to stick with something you aren't happy with.
* I'll make some allowance for Macs since Apple's a bit more discriminating about component choice and integration, especially hw/sw integration. Sony is somewhere in between. They pick top-notch screens and some interesting options for a premium price. They've both had their lemons.
Edit: If you're shopping this close to thanksgiving you really should consider the sales. Google "Black Friday" for early leaks.
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There are a vast number of people who are uninformed and heavily propagandized, but fundamentally decent. The propaganda that inundates them is effective when unchallenged, but much of it goes only skin deep. If they can be brought to raise questions and apply their decent instincts and basic intelligence, many people quickly escape the confines of the doctrinal system and are willing to do something to help others who are really suffering and oppressed." -Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media, p. 195
Last edited by cyrnel; 11-10-2006 at 03:22 PM..
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