Dell has officially launched its new XPS 15z laptop, the self-proclaimed world’s thinnest 15-inch laptop, which, according to some, places it in direct competition with Apple’s established Macbrook Pro for our affections and our wallets.

Starting at £899.99, Dell claims the XPS 15z has been designed for the “prosumer”, who wants a high-performance laptop for work, rest and play. The XPS 15z is the first in a series of less mass, more appeal products due out this year from the manufacturer.

 

According to Desire Athow at IT Pro Portal, both the £899 Dell XPS 15z and the more expensive Apple MacBook Pro have: “15-inch full HD screens, slot-in optical drives, 4GB RAM, a 500GB hard disk drive (although Dell's is faster), a graphics card with 1GB RAM (Nvidia GT525M vs AMD Radeon HD 6750M), an ultra slim profile (just under one inch) and an excellent battery life.

 

“The only major differences - apart from the price gap - are the fact that the MBP comes with a quad core Intel Core i7 clocked at 2.2GHz, while the XPS 15z runs on a 2.3GHz dual core Core i5-2410 CPU.”

 

But, in this period of austerity, is the price the only thing that matters for consumers, prosumers or even small business owners? And are they even looking to buy new laptops, eReaders or tablets?

 

According to recent research by HSBC, high earners are determined to spend, spend, spend this year. Spending by those earning over £100,000 is expected to increase 7.8 per cent in 2011, which is almost twice expected inflation for this year (the CEBR inflation forecast for 2011 is 4 per cent).

 

However, an earlier survey by the bank found that the majority of Brits have been caught up in the mood of austerity sweeping the land as the majority (73 per cent) of those polled said they are more likely to try and repair electrical gadgets this year than they were in 2010.

 

The research found that 47 per cent of people would seek a repair estimate for a laptop, while 44 per cent would simply buy a new one. However, those looking to replace their existing laptop said they would only be willing to pay an average of £78 to repair it.

 

A spokesperson for HSBC said: “While many say they see the benefits of ‘mending and making do’, when it comes to the crunch, the majority are still unlikely to pay much for a repair in comparison to the cost to replace.”