Why a Developer Laptop?
redmonk.com
redmonk.com
For me, it's more than just a Unix kernel. It's the usability of the system as a whole, the application ecosystem I use, the tools that are preinstalled, the Unix kernel and a proper terminal, and the fact that all of this is bundled into a nice looking, well made laptop that combines all of the previous points seamlessly.
The last time I bought a Dell laptop it had great hardware, but didn't get close to approaching a Mac Book Pro in terms of build quality - has that changed?
Sidenote: Tynt blows, why use it?
If this is supposed to compete with the MacBook Air, Dell completely missed the boat, especially with a $799 air coming out within the next 3 months (oops, beans spilled... sorry Apple).
Additionally, I'd rather have the MacBook Air so I can run Windows AND Mac OSX and write native iPhone apps, and I'd still spend the same $999.
Yes, Apple too missed the boat by using Intel's 3000 graphics chipset, and YES, Apple's hard drive is smaller, but NO, the Dell can't run OSX...
Why can't these folks just give us a 10-hour, 14" Air-like laptop with an nVidia 560Ti, 256GB solid state, and 8GB of DDR3-1600 RAM for $999? THAT's what we really want, right?
Right?
Beuller?
Someone who wants it to work in Linux with no issues, great battery life, and who doesn't play games?
Quad-core, 4GB (I upgraded it to 8GB for $50), 17"... Runs Linux quite nicely, even as a KVM host. Battery life is 3-4 hours. Don't be "hatin" on the games-a-playin ;-)