Just a time ago it seemed like high performance laptops were only being made by a handful of select companies and were built to order, not mass produced. Sure they weren’t produced in big qty’s however resellers did gain a lot of money on them. I’m pretty certain people would have liked to have possessed one however were unable to seriously justify it. They were like the supreme example of what could be done with notebook computer technology, the best laptops about. I reckon they would give us a preview of what’s to be released but no one would seriously buy laptops for gaming at that time. As the massive computer brands spot the potential profits in gaming portables, the industry is changing.
These laptops have a certain price bracket and these brands are aware they don’t have to be price competitive in this case. At the moment the profit margins on most notebook computers are so marginal that this constitutes as an excellent opportunity to roll back the gross margins. This was possibly the last niche left where everyone would buy laptops from littler retailers. Do the smaller players realistically have a chance with this kinda competition? I say this due to the fact that the technology which was once exclusive and overpriced is now mainstream. In addition buyers just look to trust larger brands more.
To my amazement the branded gaming laptops are as good if not better than the best laptops at present. I still anticipate that local sellers will gain some inspiration from this. I don’t think consumers will like to have a similar configuration as everybody in this form of niche. Buyers of this kind are normally highly educated concerning the technology involved, and hence can do spec for spec comparisons. In some cases the power is way more significant than the design for certain types of consumers.
Surely from the consumers way of looking at things, its a good trend. It will cause prices to shrink and make premium technology less expensive for the market. Even though that is my view on it, its just my opinion and probably not what will happen. Prices will be held high as an outcome of the constant creation of new portables. As the gaming laptop market gets over crowded with established companies, many will take a wait and see approach.
I think this place (http://www.rizeon.com/gaming_laptops/page.php) are pretty cheap for the specs they are selling.