Intel Haswell availability?

Thanks for the input!

Thanks for the input!

On the other hand, after reading the Ars article on Haswell, makes me want to make that my next Dell ultrabook. I wouldn't mind seeing a minor screen upgrade to like 14 inches, any bigger though and it becomes less fun to carry around and show off. Of course any additional reduction in weight and improvement to battery life is the way to go with any iteration.

I have been waiting for Dell to have a lightweight yet powerful laptop with touchscreen and large SSD

14 inch screen (have a 13.3 now and might consider it if the 14 is too large)

If you can match what the Lenovo X1 Carbon Touch has (good size and weight for a 14 inch) but get me a 512 SSD and longer battery life ???? I would buy that

Oh - and maybe a cd drive - even if it is a slide in rather than a drawer - we still use them out here

TravelInPerson: The XPS 12 has a touchscreen. Also, the X1 Carbon line is a different kind of system than the XPS 13. A closer comparison to the X1 Carbon would be the Latitude 6430u. Though the 6430u currently doesn't have a touchscreen, it's available with an 900p display like the X1 Carbon and tops out at twice the RAM (16GB). I believe the X1 Carbon's battery is also non-removable, unlike the 6430u, which can take 3 or 6 cell batteries.

Thanks for the information on the 6430u - I am a latitude user and have always liked the durability

Battery is a big advantage.  SSD is limited to 256 (same as the X1), but I can live with that (I would put a 128 or 256 sd card in double the flash storage).  

I like the weight - which is good for a 14 inch screen (I travel constantly so it helps to carry less)

While RAM can handle 16GB - I can't order it with more than 8 - not sure why that is.

BUT - I really want to switch to Windows 8 / the 6430u is not available that way - and make use of touch screen (my clients are always sticking their fingers on my screen - which I hate - at least it will be touchable) and I really think windows 8 is awkward without a touch screen.

Does Dell plan to add touch screen to this model ?  That is my only deal breaker to keep me from getting the X1.   Do you know when that will be if they do?

As for Haswell - the main impact for me is battery life - I don't do gaming so graphics are not an issue.

I can live without that chip if I have a 6-Cell.

I'd like to weigh in! I'm a graphics programmer and I would not hesitate to buy Sputnik's big brother with the following specs:

GPU: High-end Kepler card

CPU: Haswell

HD: 512GB SSD

MEM: 16GB

Screen: 15"

And NO CD drive.

Thanks for this great initiative!

nice

thanks for the input !

It sounds like Dell would get the most mileage out of expanding it's Ubuntu/Linux support - Developer Edition moniker - to the rest of the XPS line and perhaps offering an IPS/retina-range high resolution display option along with a larger max ram capacity (8->16 and 16->32) to go along with the Haswell upgrade (although the hardware specs are likely solidly locked in for the next update, assuming there is one coming this summer). Adding the XPS 15 to the Developer Edition line would cover a lot of these comments and It will likely be one of the 1st Dells to see new leading-edge spec updates.

Yes, I have been considering the XPS 15 and XPS 13 for my next system upgrade later this summer. So please, get to work on BumbleBee so the 15 can join the party.

thanks @Capt.Stup!

I would love the current (not the XPS 15)  XPS 13 in a 15 inch form factor with a high resolution display (for e.g. 2880 x 1800). 16 or 32 GB ram and a 512 GB SSD. This would be a badass ultrabook.

Edit: Maybe supporting different linux distributions and not only Ubuntu.

For me, as an Ubuntu user, the specs of the current XPS 13 are already almost perfect (as Ubuntu doesn't need that much to run fast anyway), so for me, it would be best if any upgraded specs were optional, so as to maintain the affordability of the device for those who don't need more RAM or a higher resolution screen. That is, apart from adding a Haswell processor and Intel HD5xxx graphics, which I would really love to see added/upgraded.

Right now, I'm in serious doubt about whether I should wait for the HD5xxx graphics, as the current HD4000 is, for me, the only real negative point about the current XPS13, especially now that we have Steam for Linux and we are actually starting to get some nice quality games for Linux. I would definitely buy the XPS 13 if it came with slightly better graphics (supported on Linux obviously) at about the same price.

I suppose it is still too early to comment on an (approximate) expected release date for an upgraded XPS 13, let alone for a release date in Europe/the Netherlands? I would hate to buy the current generation XPS 13, only to be dissapointed when a few months later an upgraded version is released which would solve pretty much the only negative point I have about the current version.

Perhaps a general comment about whether we can expect an XPS13 with (for instance) Intel HD5xxx graphics at all?