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Dell is having trouble keeping up with the demand for its XPS M1330 laptop. The high tech paint finishes on the machines are causing production of the Pearl White and Crimson Red colours to slow almost to a halt.
Dell has openly talked about the problems on its Direct2Dell blog site. "Right now, Tuxedo Black is the only color that is consistently meeting our quality standards. That’s one reason why some customers are getting their orders before others," said Alex Gruzen, Senior VP for Dell’s Consumer Product Group.
"Crimson Red and the Pearl White colors require more coats of paint and more touches to create the finished product — that means there is more opportunity for dust contamination."
Gruzen explains that the Pearl White finish takes five coats of paint and as a result of this inefficiency the Pearl White colour has now been discontinued. However, customers who already have already placed orders for the Pearl White will still receive their laptops.
Additonally, a shortage in LED-backlit displays is also causing delays in shipment. "This relatively limited supply base combined with stronger than anticipated demand-the number of orders has simply exceeded our expectations –has contributed to the delays," continued Gruzen.
According to Dell roughly ten per cent of their XPS M1330 backlog has been cleared, so it is likely that many customers still have a lengthy wait.
