Dell’s Concept Luna heralds a new era of innovation focused on waste reduction, recycling, and improved energy efficiency.
As someone who enjoys building and upgrading PCs and laptops, I met the announcement of Dell’s Concept Luna with some enthusiasm. Concept Luna is Dell’s modular and almost screwless prototype laptop, and is designed to allow easy repair and replacement of parts, including the screen. Dell says that Concept Luna’s modular nature will lead to more environmentally friendly user behavior, such as swapping the solid-state disk (SSD) for a newer, higher capacity one instead of buying a newer laptop.
Full details on Concept Luna can be found in Dell CTO Glen Robson’s blog on the subject, so I won’t repeat them here, but instead give some quick thoughts on the project. Essentially, though, Dell has reduced the motherboard’s size by 75% compared to that of the Dell Latitude 7300 AE and placed it in the top panel for better cooling; it has reduced the number of screws used in the laptop’s construction from hundreds to just four; and it has adopted a deep-cycle cell battery that will provide a long charge and last for years, to name just a few of the innovations. Others include the ability to lock components in place without adhesive, a hydro-powered aluminum construction, and screens with lower energy consumption that have been built with fewer layers.
Dell says the benefit of this modularity and fresh design is not just easier upcycling and recycling, but also a reduced impact on the environment through increased energy efficiency, improved component cooling, and less manufacturing waste. Indeed, Glen Robson writes that, “if all the design ideas in Concept Luna were realized, we could expect to see an estimated 50% reduction in overall product carbon footprint.” These are commendable ambitions, and you don’t have to a be a raving eco-terrorist to desire such outcomes, especially the lower electricity bills.
Concept Luna Challenges
If such a concept were pushed into mass production, though, there are a few challenges that Dell would need to be overcome. The first is price. When my washer-dryer broke a few years ago, the cost of the replacement part and its fitting meant that it made better financial sense to buy an entirely new washer-dryer—which I did. To avoid such things happening to a mass-production Luna laptop, the cost of replacement parts would need to be low and their availability high, with options to suit different budgets and needs. Otherwise, the consumer would simply buy a newer laptop and toss the broken one. Using a laptop’s easy repairability to reduce Dell’s in-house service time and maximize its service profits would be a mistake. Customers care about their own bottom line, not the manufacturer’s, and would happily switch to a different vendor if it offered a cheaper, newer alternative to their broken Dell unit.
The second challenge would be convincing the general laptop user to upgrade individual components instead of buying a new laptop. Although it’s more difficult to upgrade fancier, higher-end laptops that have some key components—such as SSDs and memory (RAM)—soldered to the motherboard, there are still some devices, particularly lower- and mid-market devices such as the one on which this blog post was written, that are wonderfully upgradable. Upgrading RAM typically involves nothing more than removing a few screws and a cover, and then pushing a RAM module into a slot—and it’s not much more difficult to upgrade the SSD or hard disk. You can give your existing laptop a performance boost for just a couple of hundred dollars.
Even so, it’s only a few of us that do that or know that it’s possible. Dell would need to engage with the general user and show that upgrading key components is a doddle. The ubiquity of online video services such as YouTube and Tik Tok make them a great medium for demonstrating the ease with which someone could replace a damaged screen or swap an existing panel for a newer, higher-resolution display. It’s also important that upgrades do not void warranties if the customer installs a new component, or to at least point out the components that can be upgraded without voiding the warranty. Otherwise, customers might err on the side of caution and buy a different OEM’s laptop in the first instance, or simply not bother upgrading their Dell device.
Dell’s Concept Luna has a significantly smaller motherboard than the Latitude 7300 AE and it’s made using flax fiber laminates instead of plastic.
It’s also worth noting some users simply tire of their laptop and want something that looks fresher and different, and to satisfy these users, I’m sure Dell would release special edition chassis panels, keyboards, and touchpads that are visually quirky and compelling.
A third consideration for me is the quality of the components. I’m not a fan of my Dell laptop’s keyboard, which isn’t much of a problem because I typically use a wireless keyboard and mouse set with it. Even so, swapping a stock keyboard with one that has better quality key switches, and with a key size and layout that better suits my taste appeals to me, especially if doing so is essentially toolless and quick. I’d certainly be much happier when using it as a laptop rather than a desktop replacement.
It’d be a good idea to have a range of components that stretch from the cheap-feeling but cheerful to something more enthusiast-level to let users mix and match, and upgrade their stock laptop to something that’s perfect for them.
Closing Thoughts on Concept Luna
The prospect of something like Concept Luna hitting mass-production excites me, and it’s possible that I’d be an early adopter, but I’m not the customer that Dell needs to convince. Dell needs to demonstrate the possibilities of a laptop like Concept Luna to the masses, perhaps through celebrity endorsements or straight-up product placement, such as the Hulk angrily replacing his display because he didn’t notice Loki putting a pen on the keyboard before he closed the lid. Or Q casually upgrading the RAM in James Bond’s laptop so Jim can have more browser tabs open to complete his diversity and sensitivity training while he’s trolling his latest nemesis on social media.
Of course, I’m mostly considering Concept Luna from the point of view of an enthusiast end-user, putting my own hopes and wants on it, and thinking of how Dell would convince customers to make the most of such a device. However, one of the key points of Concept Luna is the reduced detrimental effect of consumer high technology on the environment. Dell’s Concept Luna demonstrates this through less production waste, easier recycling and upcycling and lower energy use, and this is to be commended. Even if just some of the ideas within Concept Luna are implemented, that’s a good outcome for all stakeholders, particularly end-users and the environment.
One thing’s for sure, Concept Luna is one of the most interesting ideas to hit the laptop market for a long time.
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