Will alienware come out with a new 15 inch laptop?

[kahles]

Yeah.. AW is probably making a ton of money off of people who buy a 17x for power then end up getting a 14x for portability, and vice versa.

Kind of the position I'm in. I want the M17 power but that size is making me hesitant. It's gotta be portable enough for me to take to school and work. The cooling on the M17 is better to from what I have heard and seen. We should petition Dell to make that 15.6 size like their competitors do.

[Defengar]

If the rationale that the M15x would adversely affect sales of the M14x and M17x was applied elsewhere they would not offer the M17x. Those truly interested in high performance will buy an M18x because its performance eclipses the M17x. Since we are all speculating about the reasons behind it, I will speculate that the reason there is no M15x is (a) the ODM (Compal) does not offer it, or (b) based on their sales volume they did not sell enough compared to the other sizes to justify offering that additional product. Personally, I find it puzzling that the one they did away with was the M15x instead of the M14x, so my assumption is (a) might be the correct answer.

To me, anything smaller than a 15 inch is too small. They keyboard and screen on a 15 inch are just barely large enough for me not to be annoyed. (I use a 14 inch Lenovo for work and the reduced size of both is extremely annoying to me, but that's a personal preference to some extent.)

People are always going to desire what is not available. As the old saying goes, “You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time”.

The rational that they got rid of the m15x to boost sales of the m17x and m14x works because without the m15x and m11x, there are 3 tiers of products, each with a very measurable price and power.

the m11x definitely sold well, but they got rid of it likely to boost m14x sales, which puts and extra 200 or so dollars in dells pocket for each one.

Most other brands like MSI, sager, and even Asus have high end 15 inch models that can pack almost all the stuff that their 17 inch models can, and they usually come out to several hundred dollars less than their 17 inch counterparts.
this wasn't as big of an issue for AW back then the m17x could use dual GPU's, but when the m18x came out, which subtracted sales from the m17x line, they got rid of the m15x because it would cause drag on the m17x line. I wish they hadn't gotten rid of it, but for a fortune 500 company like dell, the bottom line is everything, and unfortunately sometimes that means going against what is best for your customers.

[Mr. Fox]

Well, I can't really blame them for doing what's best for the bottom line. After all, business is business. But, we still don't know for sure if that was a decision made by Compal (the ODM) or Dell. Sort of like the RGB LED they did away with in the M17x R2... awesome display, but if it's not being offered by the manufacturer it's not available for them to sell to the end user.

[rustybojangles]

Since the 14 is so close to 15, it was most likely bottom line. The 15 inch market would most likely spend the extra money and go 17 thus earning that little extra profit. Plus sometimes its better for consumers to have less choices(almost like Apple's Marketing Approach). 3 products rather than 11, 14,15,17 and 18. Some consumers are drawn off but having too many options to customize. You would almost think opposite tho, given alienware's market is for hardcore gamers.

[ejohnson]

Im fine with a 14inch, but I would like to see it get a mxm gpu so its upgradable. :/

[salanos]

Im fine with a 14inch, but I would like to see it get a mxm gpu so its upgradable. :/

The problem is that the 14" form factor simply doesn't give enough space to accomodate the thermals of a MXM-GPU.

[Defengar]

The problem is that the 14" form factor simply doesn't give enough space to accomodate the thermals of a MXM-GPU.

And thats why a 15 in is needed. The perfect blend of portability and power in a lot of cases.

[Mixmastam]

If I wasn't scared of getting a defunct laptop with terrible support, mainly for shipping parts to me quickly or not, I would of gone with the Sager. AW support is really good though, my evidence may be anecdotal but I've never had a bad experience with Dell\AW support when one of my laptops\desktops (+my families) needed help. I bought the m14x and I'll cry myself to sleep if an M15x comes out the day after I cannot refund my 14x to swap for it lol.

[PubFiction]

I wish, but I doubt they will. It would cannibalize sales of the M14x and m17x. Right now you have to choose between portability and power. And the price difference is pretty big. A new 15 inch model would bridge that gap, and would cause them to probably lose money compared to their current system.
Thats likely why they got rid of the m15x in the first place.

It would be awesome if they brought the m15x back though. I am interested in the m18x, but if they could pack most of the internals of the m17x in a 15 inch package like a lot of other brands do, then I would probably jump on that.

Losing money is an interesting way to put it. How many sales do they lose to the silent majority of laptop buyers that want a 15 inch powerful laptop. Its just like you said they are forced to choose between 11 and 17 inch, but you forgot to mention that there are tons of 15 inch options that are likely sales going to other companies.

Personally I think Dell / AW is very much like the US auto companies from a decade ago. They are so obsessed with trying to force people to pay more through upselling techniques, they arent offering people what they want. And this means the market is being invaded by asian companies whom are willing to deliver. Wait some years and you will see this come to fruitation.

[Prasad]

I'm rather happy Clevo is dominating the 15" gamer market! They do a good job too with their cooling systems!