In a controversial move, Dell rebrands its entire fleet of laptop PCs

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Summary

CES 2025 is now underway, and major tech companies from across the globe are launching new products and making big announcements.
Major PC maker Dell has taken the opportunity to announce a sweeping rebrand of its entire range of Windows-based laptop PCs.
Dell’s decision is controversial in nature, but it has the potential to streamline the company’s offerings and bolster sales figures over time.

The big tech industry trade show known as CES is now in full swing for 2025, taking place from January 7 through January 10. As has been the case in previous years, consumer electronics companies from around the world are congregating together, launching new products, and making big announcements.

One such company that’s in on the CES action is PC maker Dell, which has just announced intentions to rebrand its entire lineup of Windows-based laptop computers. More specifically, Dell has decided to ax its well-established XPS, Inspiron, and Latitude brands, each of which represents a different class of PC at a corresponding price range.

Dell has decided to ax its well-established XPS, Inspiron, and Latitude brands.

In its place is a brand-new naming convention, which includes a base Dell range, a Dell Pro range, and a Dell Pro Max range. If these names sound familiar, it’s because they are — they closely match up with the ‘Pro’ and the ‘Pro Max’ conventions popularized by Apple in recent years.

In light of Dell’s major rebranding scheme, the internet has been ablaze with a mix of surprise, bewilderment, and amusement.

So far, initial reactions appear to be more on the negative side. Many are lamenting the loss of the XPS brand in particular, which has accrued a pedigree of its own in recent years. Others are pointing out the similarities of Dell’s new naming convention with those used by Apple, citing a lack of originality in the company’s decision.

The Dell Inspiron 14 is the company’s first-ever Qualcomm Snapdragon laptop

Dell has entered the Windows on ARM fray with the Inspiron 14.

The change might be controversial, but I think Dell is onto something here

Apple knows a thing or two about marketable product lines

Dell

While it’s certainly true that the XPS, Inspiron, and Latitude brands are well-established and popular within the PC world, I’m willing to go out on a limb and state that Dell’s rebrand is a positive shift.

Imitation, as they say, is the sincerest form of flattery, and Apple has proven that the ‘Pro’ and ‘Pro Max’ monikers are a formula for marketing success. Dell has been producing laptops for decades, and its lineup has arguably become confusing and needlessly obtuse through the years.

After the dust has settled, this streamlining of Dell’s bespoke laptop product lines is sure to make life easier for consumers.

After the dust has settled, this streamlining of Dell’s bespoke laptop product lines is sure to make life easier for consumers. Things will be quite simple moving forward: The base Dell is “designed for play, school, and work,” the Dell Pro is “designed for professional-grade productivity,” and the Dell Pro Max is “designed for maximum performance.”

Dell’s decision to throw the towel under the rug of its legacy branding is both bold and daring, but it’s also not without foresight. Simplicity is the name of the game when it comes to marketability of consumer tech products, and Dell surely knows this just as well as Apple does.