Dell released a new laptop today. It used to be the case that Dell was a couple of years behind the rest of the world in design, because it seemed they focused more on building computers as efficiently (and cheaply) as possible and less on designing the computers that everyone wants to have. Why else do you think everybody pays a premium for Apple laptops (more than half of i.t.NOW employees are proudly guilty of this)? Because, simply put, the design is amazing. Everything works and feels amazing. You are continually amazed by the simplicity of the product.

Dell definitely realizes the importance of design and has made some fast improvements. The Dell Latitude E4300 I blogged about earlier is my personal favorite, but the new Adamo released today attempts to compete with the Macbook as far as Design goes. From the looks of it, they appear to have done a good job. I am only going off of pictures, but here’s what I like about the design:

·      Edge to edge screen. Personally, I can’t stand the black border surrounding the new Macbook screens.

·      Incredibly thin (.65 inches)

·      Solid state only on the hard drives

But, nothing is perfect. I think that the Adamo designers fell into the same trap that the first generation Macbook Air fell into. They compromised too much on performance to fit everything into a small, sexy package. The second generation Macbook Air fixed that problem (for the most part).

Now I just need to find a customer to buy one so I can try it out!

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As computers progress and get cheaper, it is often easier and cheaper to replace a computer than it is to fix it. Some of our clients aren’t used to this approach. Many have been using computers since they cost $5,000 and are accustomed to maximizing the investment by getting as much use as possible out of the computer. Here are some of the reasons I give when I tell clients their money would be better spent replacing a problematic PC older than 3 years:

• Productivity. Almost everyone who gets a new computer talks about how much faster it is compared to the old one. For business owners, that means your employees can be more productive, and hopefully make you more money.
• Data protection. While it is always good to test your backup strategy, doing so by experiencing a failed hard drive is not what I would recommend. A 3+year old hard drive is in some cases a ticking time bomb. It is much easier to replace a computer before the hard drive dies.
• New programs and features. Often times, companies contact us when they have a new program they want to install that won’t run on the computers they are currently using. This means that if they want to run the new program, all computers need to be upgraded or usually replaced.
• Warranties. As a machine gets older, it is often more difficult to find replacement parts for some components. By being covered by a manufacturer’s warranty, we can typically receive all necessary parts next business day, free of charge.
• Budgets. When you drive a computer until the wheels fall off, it is difficult to predict what the expenses will be. Computers often die a slow death, requiring on-site visits to replace failed components and employee downtime. If a company decides to replace all computers every three or four years, it is easy to plan in advance, before yearly budgets are created, which machines will need to be replaced during that year.

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