Prospective US consumers looking to secure a HD laptop without breaking the bank must have been positively bouncing off the walls earlier this week when computer giant Dell revealed the integration of a Blu-ray drive into its award-winning Inspiron 1525 line alongside a starting price of just $879 USD (£440 GBP).
Dell\'s new sub-$1000 Blu-ray Inspiron laptop not such a sweet deal for UK consumers. Credit: Dell.
An undeniably tantalising price should you happen to reside in the United States. But PC Pro magazine ventures to ask ‘what of those poor unfortunate HD hopefuls in the UK?’
Well accustomed to being blighted by added taxes and an almost incessantly strong pound, UK-based customers once again find themselves unable to benefit from what’s supposed to be an otherwise appealing offer.
Indeed, Dell has expressly focused attention on the “sub-$1000” aspect of its Blu-ray Inspiron offer, which is price lure that UK consumers simply cannot draw upon when considering that the comparative GBP start price for the same laptop is “£729 including VAT and delivery.”
Running that amount back through the USD conversion rate sees UK consumers looking at a starting price of approximately $1,458 dollars, which, even considering any additional taxes and charges, hardly conveys Dell’s spotlighting of its supposedly value for money offer.
“What’s different about the Inspiron 1525 laptop with optional Blu-ray playback is that it’s available for under a $1,000,” clarified “anne@dell” a helpful Tech Herald commenter claiming to be a Dell employee. “Laptops with integrated graphics typically do not support Blu-ray capability, but in this case, the system includes a built-in dedicated high-definition video accelerator from Broadcom.”
While Dell’s press office has promised to contact PC Pro regarding the rather substantial difference between the US and UK price points of the Blu-ray-equipped Inspiron 1525, those tech lovers interested in securing a unit (regardless of the price) can expect to receive the following:
A 15.4-inch HD wide aspect display (720p), integrated graphics and accelerator, an HDMI port for HD display and TV connection, the inclusion of Broadband Media PC and MediaDirect technology, and a selection of vibrant colour choices.
“The Blu-ray player disc drive is fully backwards compatible, and will play as well as burn traditional DVDs and CDs,” outlines Dell. “Consumers can also chose a Blu-ray burner drive, which is great for backing up and storing important files like digital photos, videos, financial records, etc. A Blu-ray disc will hold up to 50 GB of data, vs. 8.5 GB available on the typical DVD disc.”
Official response or no, considering the current pricing disparity of almost £300 GBP or $600 USD (which is hardly likely to change) we’d suggest perhaps investing in a US-to-UK power adaptor and insured registered delivery, and having an Inspiron sent over by a US friend -- if you have access to one.
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