Laws mean different things to different people. For most, they are immutable structures demanding to be followed or strictures begging to be tested. For others, laws define the line separating conventional and unconventional behavior. For me, the most important (and, usually, the least discussed) aspect of law is predictability.
In other words, laws clearly delineate expectable outcomes following certain events or behaviors. You “can’t drive ‘55”? Better start saving for a hefty fine and bail bond. Feel like selling strangers, neighbors or family members on a hot new pyramid scheme? Maybe a change of scenery for the next 5-10 years would do you good. Rush hour traffic frustrations might make road rage seem a reasonable course of action. In real life with the cops on hand? Not so much.
Laws obviously have a place in business and industry but it’s hard to think of one more celebrated than Moore’s Law and its formulator, Intel co-founder Dr. Gordon Moore. As with commonplace laws, some consider Moore’s observation to be somehow immutable even though he himself, along with Arthur Rock, understood that economic reality would eventually overtake and erode its value.
The bigger benefits of Moore’s Law came from the predictable insights it provided Intel OEMs, resellers and end users. In essence, it allowed those audiences to accurately compare/contrast current products with what would come down the pike in 12 to 18 months. Better informed partners and customers means better informed development and purchasing decisions, and greater satisfaction all around.
Dell takes Coffee Lake to the Max
That brings me to Dell’s latest PCs based on Intel’s latest 8th generation “Coffee Lake-H” Core processors. Interestingly, the new solutions’ benefits are designed to touch a wide range of Dell PC customers, including consumers, business people and gamers. However, Intel CPUs aren’t solely responsible for what makes the new PCs stand out.
In point of fact, Dell is using a variety of technical and design advances to differentiate these products and related services. Those include cooling and multimedia offerings developed by the company, as well as GPU advances from partner NVIDIA. Customers also benefit from Dell’s formidable supply chain capabilities which continually drive what were once premium quality options, like Dell’s InfinityEdge 4K displays into the mainstream.
So what do the new Dell solutions offer customers?
- XPS – Dell’s flagship XPS 15 laptops now include 6-core 8th gen Coffee Lake-H CPUs and up to NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050Ti graphics. According to Dell, the new XPS 15 the world’s “smallest 15.6-inch performance laptop.” In addition, the XPS 15 2-in-1 that Dell unveiled at CES 2018 (and which earned more than 34 Best of CES awards) is now available for purchase, offering a notable 16mm (5/8 inch) thick for factor and an InfinityEdge 4K display. In addition, a new brushed onyx color option for XPS products will become available in select countries starting May 2018.
- · Inspiron – Dell’s Inspiron line focuses on “value” desktops, laptops, 2-in-1s and AIOs. The new additions to the line are performance-focused AIOs that include two basic (Inspiron 22 and 24 3000) solutions that leverage Intel’s 7th gen Core chips. There’s also a new Inspiron 24 5000 with 8th gen Core optimized for multimedia, and a new Inspiron 27 7000 with 8th gen Core and an optional NVIDIA GTX 1050 graphics card for enhanced performance and user experience. Dell also announced an enhanced version of its Inspiron 15 7000 2-in-1 with Intel Core i7 processors, premium 4K UHD touch screen, higher capacity SSDs, 16GB of DDR4 memory, NVIDIA MX130 discrete graphics and support for Dell’s Active Pen.
- Alienware – The newAlienware 15 and 17 gaming laptops include versions with Coffee Lake-H Core i5, i7, and i9 processors with up to 6-cores, and enable overclocking up to 5.0GHZ. Alienware’s latest Cryo-Tech v2.0 technology incorporates 50 percent thinner fan blades and a vapor chamber on the CPU to better cool the higher number of Intel cores. Alienware says the new laptops offer a 10 percent performance boost, resulting in improved AAA gameplay and VR immersion. Dell also introduced new value-focused G Series gaming laptops with 8th Gen Intel Core processors and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 10 GPUs, as well as the availability of HTC VIVE Pro on dell.com. Finally, the company said new Alienware Arena Rewards allow gamers to earn points for discounts and other rewards.
- Dell also announced software and community features for all or some of the new products. Introduced at CES in January, Dell Cinema consists of immersive technologies (CinemaColor, CinemaSound, CinemaStream) designed to enhance media content consumption on XPS laptops. The company also introduced new additions to its S Family Monitor family (in 23-, 24- and 27-inch variations) that upgrade both work and play applications with edge-to-edge, virtually borderless displays. Additionally, Dell said that eSports organizations NBA 2K League, Miami HEAT, Misfits Gaming and Team Liquid have all selected Alienware as their exclusive technology partner. Finally, Dell’s complete suite of leading-edge support options, including its top tier – Premium Support Plus powered by SupportAssist technology, is available for the new XPS, Inspiron and Alienware solutions.
Final analysis
At one level, the new Dell and Alienware solutions are great examples of the steadily continuing improvements achievable with the help of Intel’s evolving semiconductor technologies. Moore’s Law is illustrative in that regard, though enhancements in memory, storage, interconnect and NVIDIA’s GPU technologies also contributed to Dell’s innovative system designs and delivery.
At the same time, Dell’s dedication to engineering and supply chain innovation enabled it to achieve unpredictable results. The new Dell Cinema is a good example that demonstrates how the company is actively leveraging new technologies to enhance both solution performance and customer value. The Alienware partnership with NBA 2K League, Miami HEAT, Misfits Gaming and Team Liquid offer a distinct perspective on how technical enhancements can touch professional class applications.
Overall, the company deserves kudos for the well-considered and well-executed additions to its XPS, Inspiron, Alienware and other lines. These efforts highlight how Dell is continually, predictably expanding its customers satisfaction and its own commercial opportunities.
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