Report: Dell kills Inspiron Mini netbook series

After the Streak tablet, the Inspiron Mini netbooks will be the next line of portable devices to be discontinued by Dell. PC Magazine said a Dell sales representative "confirmed" that no Dell Mini is currently for sale, and suggested the small Inspiron 11znotebook in its place. "The Mini faced two obstacles: first, Dell has made a commitment to maximizing its 'profit share,' not market share, meaning that it has moved to higher-margin products across all of its categories. That has meant that the company currently promotes three brands: the Inspiron, the high-end XPS notebook, and the Alienware enthusiast line," it said. This means no consumer notebook on the Dell site currently costs less than $499, unless it comes with a coupon or limited-quantity discount, it added. PC Mag noted the Mini netbook line also resembled a notebook, but without the corresponding performance or features. “There was always a [consumer] expectation that it was a laptop... If you look back... we were always slowly phasing it out,” it quoted a source at Dell as saying. PC Mag said Dell previously cancelled the 9-inch and the 12-inch Dell Inspiron Minis before launching the Inspiron Mini 10s (HD) in February. The tech site had praised the gadget's features, but criticized its poor navigating experience and second-tier battery life. PC Mag noted that in 2010, Dell trimmed its low-margin Streak tablets. The Streak 5 fell in August, and the larger 7-inch Streak was discontinued in early December. — LBG, GMA News