Dell discontinues XPS and Inspiron product lines

XPS and Inspiron are some of the most popular brands in the laptop world. You may not know it, but the "XPS" line is so ubiquitous that just mentioning it will make most people realize you're talking about a Dell device.

Dell is planning to rebrand its PC lineup, according to a new report from Bloomberg. The new names may sound familiar, as they use terms like 'Pro' and 'Max,' which are typically associated with high-end devices. If nothing else, Dell's XPS and Inspiron brands will be replaced with simpler names: 'Dell,' 'Dell Pro,' and 'Dell Pro Max.'

Dell CEO Jeff Clarke said the reason behind the decision to change the series of product brands that have made the company famous over the years is to make it easier for customers to access and choose Dell devices, without having to spend time trying to figure out which sub-brands the company offers. According to him, customers should not waste time on the brand issue, but instead just hear the name to know which segment the product is aimed at.

When asked about the similarity between naming product lines with the suffixes "Pro" and "Max" similar to how Apple names the iPhone, Dell's CEO did not think this was a "copy", and revealed that the decisions related to the rebranding were driven by actual research results on the shopping habits and behaviors of thousands of customers.

The rebranding decision may also be related to Dell's increased investment in the AI ​​market. At CES 2025, both AMD and Intel announced processors for Copilot+ PCs. This trend pushes Dell to be more active in the AI ​​field, in anticipation of the wave of users who may upgrade to AI PCs after their older Windows 10 devices end support later this year.

Dell isn't the only company that built up a great sub-brand over decades, only to abandon it in favor of something "simpler." Back in 2023, Intel did the same thing, dropping the 'i' from its processor branding. No more Core i3, i5, i7, and so on. Instead, the company settled on Core 3, 5, and 7, with the more powerful versions labeled "Ultra." Like Dell, Intel's rebranding was likely a result of customer feedback and a request to simplify the branding of its processor lines.

Then we had Twitter rebranded to X - a decision that was controversial, but also received a fair amount of approval.

Isabella Humphrey

Update 09 January 2025