Dude I got a Dell

I ordered an Inspiron 1520 a few months ago- soon after its introduction. Dell was running a series of deals concurrently which allowed me to buy a loaded computer ( New Santa Rosa chipset, 256 MB Graphics card, 2 GB of RAM, 160 GB HD, etc, etc.) for less than $1200. I figured I was getting a solid, but unspectacular computer. I looked at some beautifully designed Sonys and Apples, but the pricing of the Dell was just too good to pass up.

After ordering, I waited about 6 weeks for delivery- which was certainly something of a nuisance. Apparently there has been some snafu with the production of the new colored tops. During this period, I shopped again for alternative computers- but didn't find anything reasonable within a few hundred dollars of the Dell deal.

I finally got my 1520 a few days ago. I was really surprised when I told this thing out of the box. The colored lid has a beautiful look and feel to it. The computer is equally attractive with the lid open- with a monochromatic silver finish with a comfortable and well laid-out keyboard. Stylewise, it holds it own against anything else I could find- even computers at nearly twice the price. I have only a few minor gripes- a fingerprint reader option would be a good option and it could be a little lighter. I guess the 1420 is likely to be similar, but substantially lighter.

So I think Dell has a real hit on their hands. Once they work out their production issues, I think this computer and its bigger and littler brothers the 1720 and 1420 will be very popular. My experience also shows a real limitation, though, with the direct sales model. Dell's website does little to convey just how stunning their new computers are. Perhaps, now that they have something to show off again, they should re-emphasize the mall based kiosks they used to have.

I was wondering if people thought that DELL's stock is a buy here? Certainly, the company and the stock have done quite poorly over the past few years. Do you think Michael Dell can pull off a Steve Jobs?