January 7, 2026
No AI? Cue the meltdown
Dell's CES 2026 chat was the most pleasingly un-AI briefing I've had in 5 years
Dell ditched AI hype; fans cheer, investors sulk
TLDR: Dell moved away from AI-first hype at CES, focusing on real devices and saying shoppers aren’t buying for AI. Commenters cheered the honesty while sparking debates about investor backlash and AI-driven memory costs pushing prices up, with geeks hyped for XPS and business-class Precision options.
Dell just did the unthinkable at CES: a briefing with almost no AI fluff, and the internet lost its mind. Fans clapped for a presentation focused on real stuff—revived XPS laptops, slick Alienware gear, new monitors—while Dell admitted a hard truth: people aren’t buying PCs for “AI.” Product chief Kevin Terwilliger said AI “probably confuses” shoppers, even though every device packs an NPU (a tiny chip for AI features). Cue drama. Investors didn’t get the memo; commenters pointed to Dell’s stock slipping 15% in a month, calling it punishment for speaking plainly, big yikes indeed. Subtext: brands fear crossing the AI-hype gods. Others cheered: consumers want machines that are better, stronger, cheaper—not acronyms and buzzwords. A spicy thread asked if rising device prices are because AI training sent memory costs soaring over 100%—echoing Dell’s warning of a 2026 memory crunch. Power users drooled over the XPS revival, dreaming of “MacBook-quality” hardware for Linux, while a cheeky PSA urged skipping XPS for business-class Precision as names shift to “Dell Pro.” Meme lords waved “AI bingo cards” and joked about an “AI sticker on the BBQ,” celebrating a rare, AI-free vibe. For once, the room wasn’t a chatbot, for a change
Key Points
- •Dell’s CES 2026 pre-briefing emphasized consumer-focused product launches over AI-first marketing.
- •Jeff Clarke highlighted tariffs, slow industry transition, unmet AI-driven demand, and a significant memory shortage entering 2026.
- •Dell announced the return of XPS laptops, new high-end and entry-level Alienware laptops, updated Area-51 desktops, and new monitors.
- •Kevin Terwilliger said consumers are not buying based on AI and that AI-centric messaging is confusing, marking a shift from last year.
- •All announced devices include NPUs, maintaining AI capabilities despite reduced AI marketing emphasis.