Intel Haswell availability?

As I mentioned before, I asked if I need to wait for a Hasswel, but I thought It would take a while and bought the current XPS 13. I hope my €1200 device will not be 'old' too soon ...

mhanby and brajalle: There's a "Set HDD Password" option in the firmware setup . I don't know implementation details.

I just joined this forum simply to reply back and show some additional interest.  Most of the developers at my company are getting Lenovo W530s, but I am the only person at the entire company to run Linux.  I wanted something thinner and lighter than the W530 that was designed with Linux in mind.  I recently convinced my company to order the new System76 Galago Ultrapro for me.  It had tons of promise but ultimately I felt like it didn't deliver.  I had several hardware issues with it that obviously would have been covered for free under warranty.  However, I wound up sending back the system entirely because I just wasn't that impressed with it overall.

I am really hoping for a Haswell refresh of this XPS 13 model.  The current version has fantastic reviews, even from people that aren't die-hard Linux users (and are not power users).  I debated the XPS 13 DE but there were a few problems that I had with it:

1. Max of 8GB of RAM.  While this is usually more than enough for what I'm doing, there was one thing that I was doing that pulls so much data into memory at runtime, that I actually had to upgrade my existing laptop to 16GB.  So typically 8GB is sufficient, but at least one thing in my system requires me to have more than that.  I had to upgrade to 16GB and up my max heap space to 12GB to run this successfully.  So at least 12GB is required, 16 would be preferred.

2. Only a single SSD.  Rather than having a single SSD, I think the perfect setup is to allow an mSATA SSD (something like the Crucial M4?) and then have a large HDD for storage.  mSATA drives are crazy small and therefore do add much additional bulk.  The Galago allows for this setup and it was exactly what my IT admin ordered for me (a 256GB mSATA with 1TB HDD).

3. Slower graphics.  The Galago offers the new Haswell core with the 5200 Iris Pro while the XPS 13 DE is still relying on the HD4000.  We sometimes do gaming nights at the office and being able to play most of my Steam library on a crazy thin laptop would be a dream.  Currently I haul my entire ATX desktop system into the office whenever we do a game night.  It doesn't have to handle *EVERY* game...that's what my i5 Haswell desktop with GTX 650 Ti is for.  At least the video card isn't an ATI card however.  ATI and Linux just don't work very well together at the moment.

I really like what Dell has done with this and the reviews make this a very promising piece of hardware.  The backlit keyboard is awesome and almost a must have for me since I first purchased a macbook pro in 2006.  I'm actually fine with a glossy screen but I know some people don't like them.  One of my biggest complaints about the Galago was the touchpad.  It was just awful.  The following review really caught my eye when the reviewer says that the XPS 13 DE will do "two-finger scrolling (with inertia!)" which is downright amazing.  My old macbook pro running Ubuntu didn't even support inertia in the scrolling!

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/04/it-just-works-dell-xps-13-developer-edition-linux-ultrabook-review/

I really hope this little machine gets a Haswell upgrade.  Even if an update stays with the Ivy bridge (though why not update to Haswell at this point??) -- if Dell puts out an update with at least 12GB of RAM and option to have mSATA SSD with a 2.5" HDD -- I would push my IT team to order it for me in a heartbeat.  Heck, I may just order it for myself at home!  Better graphics are nice but not required since I can always haul my desktop into work for the rare gaming nights.  But the additional RAM and larger storage would seal the deal for me.

Right now I still haven't decided what to order since returning the Galago to System76.  I'm really leaning toward asking for a macbook pro and just installing Ubuntu on it, but I'm intrigued by the latest "wait and see" comment.  I really don't like giving Apple any money, and would love to support Dell's efforts (or any other company) that wants to ship their computers with Linux pre-installed, especially when drivers and other changes are making their way back into the Linux kernel.  Supporting open source software is huge in my book.  Valve has taking a LOT of my money since I first received my Steam for Linux beta invite.  Given that the reviews for this first version were so stellar, if Dell refreshes this hardware with some better RAM and SSD/HDD combo then my money is theirs, without question.

Thanks for the great input!

Whatever is upcoming - I hope is not based on the 7000 Series?!

Edit:

I am disappointed. Seems my fears became true. Apparently Dell is going to replace the XPS 13 with the 7000 Series. 

If I am not mistaken there, I' m out. I have a feelin' that Dell is again supporting Apple ;)

Really looking forward to what DELL has to offer for a Linux user such as myself. My Previous Latitude is still physically in perfect condition albeit over ten years old and gathering dust. Hope to get a new one with Scandinavian (Finnish) keyboard without having to scratch out the super key ;)

Hope to get:

<= 14" display

descent battery-life

physically sturdy

components which work well with open-source drivers

ssd

16GB of ram

and last but certainly not least a great trackpad

Should generate a lot of interest. Certainly from me

Whatever is upcoming - I hope is not based on the 7000 Series?! Edit: I am disappointed. Seems my fears became true. Apparently Dell is going to replace the XPS 13 with the 7000 Series.  If I am not mistaken there, I' m out. I have a feelin' that Dell is again supporting Apple ;)

Where did you hear this information from?

Admittedly an assumption after the introduction of the 7000 series

In another forum, somebody was 100% certain that the Dell M3800 was going to be the successor of the XPS 13. Again, just speculation.

Let's be patient and wait for news from Barton George.

There will be a follow on to the XPS 13 that will be Ubuntu-based.  We are looking at potential other systems but nothing has been decided yet.

thanks!

Well, that is my problem: All current systems has on offer today are **censored**, sorry to say. So unless Dell introduces an all new series, what seems unlikely in the light of the newly introduced 7000 series, I am out. A DE version of whatever current Haswell hardware is definitely not of interest.

Thanks for the update! :)

I think it's safe to say that there's quite a fanbase eagerly waiting for a Haswell-follow-up.

Well, for starters: incredibly ugly and bulky (lets not forget this are "Ultrabooks", what is simply code for "MacBook ripo... ehm, competitors"). Comes in low res (no option) or touch display (neither an option, no comment on insanity here). Battery life: so-so. I do not even mention the OS, as what is of interest is an Linux derivative, so ... mum.

Clearly no competitor to the MacBook Airs or Retinas. Not even close...

I'd be happy if that'd be true, but I understand the XPS series will be discontinued and hence replaced by the 7000 series. Bad, bad decision, imho, given I got that right.