Dell Wants to Be the Prada of Laptops: The New Adamo

Dell has just unveiled its new laptop progeniture, the Adamo, which will sell for a whopping $2000 a piece. The Adamo boasts an ultra-thin design and aluminum cover. It looks attractive, but at that price you kind of expect some Swarowski crystals embedded in the keyboard.

Yet the design itself is not as remarkable as the marketing, which has not addressed so much the New York Times as Cosmopolitan, InStyle and Vogue. You get the feeling that Dell is trying to rebrand itself as less of a maker of practical laptops than a top of the line, design-intensive, high fashion brand of technology. Take a look at their website here and you'll get the feeling that Dell wants to be the Prada of laptops.

This of course leads me to wonder: can a laptop ever become a high fashion accessory? Sure, Prada bags serve a utility, but their role as artistic accesssories is very pronounced. Those that buy Prada do not buy a bag - but an image and a prestige. Can a laptop maker offer that kind of value added?

At a first glance, no. The utility of a laptop will always be stronger than its 'accesory' image. Nevertheless, there may be some room to play with the concept of high-end laptops. I'm not sure if Dell, which has been a utility laptop maker for years, can actually make that leap. It seems like a major new brand and an outstanding design (yes, and Swarowski's) are needed to achieve that position.