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Topic: Dell

Dell's slim XPS 14z rises to challenge MacBook Pro

Summary: With the 14z, it's clear that Apple's steller design tastes spreading to even Dell.

Ricardo Bilton

By for The ToyBox |

Apple's MacBook is getting a lot of competition in recent months, and Dell is adding to it with its latest notebook, the XPS 14z.

The first thing you'll notice about the 14z is its screen. By minimizing the 14z's bezel, Dell managed to squeeze a 14-inch display into a 13-inch chassis, making the device nearly borderless.

Unlike the smaller 13z that it was announced with in August, the 14z features an internal optical drive, which, understandably, makes it a whole lot thicker the recent slew of notebooks that have dropped the feature. Alongside the 14z's 1.3 mega-pixel camera and pair of USB ports Dell is also offering the option of a discrete NVIDIA graphics card.

And then there's the design. Weighing at 4.36 pounds and measuring at just less than an inch thick, the 14z's thin frame rivals the design of even the MacBook Pro. And speaking of Apple's hardware, comparisons to the MacBook line should be pretty evident here, as it has been with many of the Ultrabooks.
On matters of price, the entry-level Core i5 version of the device sells for $999, with its more advanced NVIDIA GeForce-equipped counterpart retailing for $1599. The 14z hits stores November 1st.

Topic: Dell

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23 comments
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  • But its a Dell

    The feel and finish has been lousy lately. Comparing Laptops at Bestbuy the Dells just feel and look cheap.
    tgschmidt
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Dell's slim XPS 14z rises to challenge MacBook Pro

      @tgschmidt <br><br>The late Steven Jobs was primary designer of original PowerBook G4 Titanium ten years ago. After all of these years, competitors basically gave up and try to make notebooks the same way.<br><br>While Jobs himself might have hated it, this competition is inevitable and, in some cases, useful to buyers.

      Though Dell might be built worse than, say, HP Envy (appropriate name for that matter).
      DDERSSS
      Reply Vote

  • Great Caesar's Ghost

    Please to be pardoning my not so excellently the English, but are these constrictions correct?

    <ul><<li>a whole lot thicker the recent slew of notebooks</li><li>Weighing at 4.36 pounds</li><li>measuring at just less than an inch thick</li></ul>
    Robert Hahn
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Dell's slim XPS 14z rises to challenge MacBook Pro

      @Robert Hahn,
      - a whole lot thicker _than_ the recent slew of notebooks
      - weighing 4.36 -or- weighing in at 4.36
      - measuring just less than....
      The writing here is steller. Just steller. Proofreeding is e lost ert.
      alegh
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Dell's slim XPS 14z rises to challenge MacBook Pro

        @alegh Rofl. Stellar autocorrects on my iPad even!!
        lelandhendrix@...
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Dell's slim XPS 14z rises to challenge MacBook Pro

        @alegh ditto to your post alegh. He did say please pardon his post at the beginning, or did you not read?
        Debbie Stewart
        Reply Vote

    • RE: Dell's slim XPS 14z rises to challenge MacBook Pro

      @Robert Hahn
      Understanding that English is not your primary language (unlike someone else), the answer to your question is yes, these are the "specifications"/constraints for the Dell XPS 14z. Keep in mind, however, that the 1st item "... thicker than the recent slew of notebooks" is referring to a difference of less than 0.2" and that you are gaining the advantage of:
      . A larger display 14" vs 12.5" to 13.3"
      . An internal Optical Drive (DVD Burner)
      Wayne Reid
      Reply Vote

  • RE: Dell's slim XPS 14z rises to challenge MacBook Pro

    People buy MacBook Pro not just for the hardware, its for the entire experience, the hardware and software and everything else that comes along with it ... the ecosystem. This is not a competition for MacBook Pro if it doesn't offer the same OS. You can call it a competitor for <put your company name here> laptop that runs windows <XYZ>
    mKind
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Dell's slim XPS 14z rises to challenge MacBook Pro

      @mKind
      Ecosystem? Like a coral reef or something? Wow - Apple are clever.
      TKR1
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Dell's slim XPS 14z rises to challenge MacBook Pro

        @TKR1 In that case, the USB ports must be replaced with SUB ports....
        jgm@...
        Reply Vote

    • RE: Dell's slim XPS 14z rises to challenge MacBook Pro

      @mKind

      Yes it does not feature that ancient BSD Unix with the ADD animations - instead it uses a modern OS - a definite plus in my book ;-)
      tonymcs@...
      Reply Vote

      • RE: ...instead it uses a modern OS...

        @tonymcs@... <br><br>You mean these come with Linux pre-installed????<br><br>But, no, they don't. At least one could hope!

        (/sarcasm)
        fatman65536
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Dell's slim XPS 14z rises to challenge MacBook Pro

        @tonymcs@...
        a modern OS with 5 million little friends... (viruses)

        fatman65536 +1 ;-)
        Johan Safari
        Reply Vote

    • RE: Dell's slim XPS 14z rises to challenge MacBook Pro

      @mKind

      It's amazing that some Apple users get sucked up into the Apple marketing...."It's the Experience". I use Mac and PC, and I get the same experience. So, Whatcha talkin bout Willis?
      YouCanDoItAgain
      Reply Vote

  • RE: Dell's slim XPS 14z rises to challenge MacBook Pro

    no way it will ever compete with MacBooks...
    shellcodes_coder
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Dell's slim XPS 14z rises to challenge MacBook Pro

    steller? I think that's a typo. It should be Stiller, as in Jerry, Ben's father.
    DannyO_0x98
    Reply Vote

  • &quot;Stell... er! STELL... ER!!!&quot;

    Please learn to spell. Or at least, how to use a spell checker.<br><br>I'm sure "Perry White" (Mr Hahn) will get the joke, even if you don't.<br><br>Sheesh.
    GrizzledGeezer
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Dell's slim XPS 14z rises to challenge MacBook Pro

    Stevie Wonder would even be able to notice the inferior design in comparison to the MBP. It simply does not look good.
    rhon@...
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Dell's slim XPS 14z rises to challenge MacBook Pro

    How is this a challenge when Dell doesn't even offer OSX Lion on their system?
    m3kw9
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Dell's slim XPS 14z rises to challenge MacBook Pro

    I have a Dell XPS M1730 with two NVidia graphics cards. I will never buy another laptop with NVidia in it. Neither Dell nor NVidia supported these cards. NVidia pretty much sent me to another site because they'd given up on their laptop graphics cards. So tell me, how can Dell put another NVidia graphics card in ANY of their notebooks?
    pffft to both, won't get my business again.
    Debbie Stewart
    Reply Vote
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