I stopped by Sears today for something else, and checked out the DC15 in person. It does indeed have a stationary motor, at least relative to the dirt bin. It does swivel relative to the ground, but it didn't really have a noticeable gyroscopic effect when you rotated the handle; the forward pull from the brushroll was much more noticeable.  
 
Moving the vacuum without the motor running, it seemed very heavy and clumsy. With the motor running, the brushroll pulled it along nicely and it was easier to use. I still think it would be heavier to use than many people would like. I think this will clearly be a niche vacuum.  
 
As far as cleaning, it seemed to pick up test dirt very well. Airflow did seem to be less than the DC07, but probably still enough. The hose end fitting size was smaller than the DC07.  The brushroll seemed considerably more aggressive than the DC07. Will it pick up sand better out of American carpets? I'll leave that test to others.  I do agree that this vacuum looks easier to work on than the predecessors.
 
The salespeople at Sears didn't know quite what to make of it. The thought the price was high, but also thought it might be handy to go around a lot of furniture. They jokingly referred to it as the Dyson ZTR (Zero Turning Radius).
 
Carl

It makes no difference what a vacuum DOES, $700 (to me) is way too much to ASK for a vacuum.  I don't care if someone is 'rich' enough to afford it.  Just because someone makes $150,000 a year is no reason to buy an expensive vacuum.
 
Is a Kirby 'worth' $1,500?  According to Carmin, if someone can 'afford' it, it's worth it.
 
DC15 is a great machine. I think it cleans very well and is certainly easy to use as well as being very cool-looking.
Then again, I think the DC07 cleans very well, is easy to use, but costs $200 less than DC15.  I can justify that DC07 will recover it's cost over it's life (no bags, belts, or filters to buy).  Don't think I can justify $700 for DC15 - but I will carry DC15 for the person who wants the very best and is willing to pay for it.
 
It's all what someone is willing to pay for.  I paid $1800 for a HP computer in 1998.  It better last for the rest of my life - I'll NEVER pay that much for a 'glorified typewriter' again.

Dyson will need a lot of heavy press to get the word out. So far the largest appliance online news sites refused to promote/launch the DC15 again. One time was enough and that was last month for the UK launch.

I thought he did....
 
Quote from Carmine_Difazio   on 04/22/05 at 12:50pm:

Dual, you make an interesting observation on male / female spending preferences with regard to the Dyson DC15; I hadn't considered this until now. I think it's true to say that the unique ball and undercarriage features will certainly make the model appeal more to male purchasers over other models. Do you really think it will make the female purchaser stay well clear? I recognise your experience in the trade; it'll be interesting if you could report back on how this pans out over the next few months.
 
I too had a raised eyebrow moment when I discovered the price would be breaking the 300 GBP price point. People have generally been accepting to pay in the 200's for previous higher tier Dyson's, but the current top-of-the range DC15 is 350...
 
This needn't be a huge issue. I was in an out-of-town electrical store last weekend and had a look around the vac section. In this retailer, the Dyson brand had a whole section to itself, almost as big as the shop space for all the other competing appliances. Here you could browse around 10 models on display, to suit the budgets of most people in the market for a bagless, branded cleaner. As an example, the pricing for the uprights :-
 
DC04 SIL/LIME   £129.47
DC07 SIL/YELLOW £173.97
DC14 ST/YELL    £184.95
DC15 SIL/YELL   £309.97
 
The DC04 makes a very attractive proposition at that price point. If someone would like any of the extra features introduced across the ranges, they simply trade up as required, within their budget. If the price truly is no barrier, they'll more than likely go for the top of the range DC15.
 
Later on I'll try and post some thoughts I've had on how DC15 sales conversions might work in practise.