Retail Watch: 13.3" widescreens for everyone? (this week at Staples)

The new year is in, the CES 2009 trade show will officially kick off next week, so are there any trends and patterns we can observe at retail? Let's take a look at the weekly circular of Staples!

As we mentioned before, the $400 laptop is here to stay! In this case, the Presario GQ50-130us is $400 after a $30 Easy Rebate and comes with 2gb memory, 160gb disk and 15.4" widescreen, along with the usual features (dvd burner, wireless, card reader, etc).

But the biggest surprise perhaps is the affordability of 13.3" widescreen laptops, which once upon a time were considered "executive" and "elite". After all, the MacBooks rarely start below four figures. And you don't have to get a "Who Made It?" brand for $650 in this case. You are getting the Dell Inspiron 1318 notebook and no rebates to deal with either. And this is not a joke-laptop, you get 4gb memory, 320gb disk, slot-loading optical drive, webcam, and things like that. HOT or what?

Next, another Dell, this one in their mid-range Studio line, the Dell Studio 1536, powered by an Athlon actually (RM-74 dual core) and going for $650. This gets you a 15.4" widescreen, 4gb memory, 320gb disk, slot-loading burner, and things like that. Sadly you also get 15-months of (presumably) bloatware antivirus included. Available in multiple fashionable trendy and tasty colors :) (Do not eat them!)

Last but not least - especially since this is the largest and most expensive - the Dell Studio 17 is offered for $700. As the model name reveals, this has a 17" display, 3gb memory, 320gb disk, but - yes but - BluRay player, backlit keyboard, and things like that. With the prevalence and lower prices of BluRay, we think it will be hard in 2009 for a laptop to call itself "entertainment" without offering a BluRay player. BluRay burners will probably take longer, may be 2010 or 2011 before they become as common as dvd burners?

In conclusion
The prices are shifting downwards, and not just for the entry-level. You can get a solid road-warrior 13.3" Dell for $650 with nice specs, and a reasonable "entertainment" laptop with BluRay for $700. And this is just Staples. Imagine what else might be out there in the more laptop-specializing stores!