New Dell Laptops focus on design

Michael Gartenberg | June 26, 2007, 01:13 PM

Interesting launch for the new Dell XPS line, they're showing them in NY at Macy's Herald Square with runway models showing off the new line. Even more interesting is that Dell says they are now focusing on the consumer. We agree, I'm looking at numbers right now on consumer PC penetration as well as intent to purchase and it's clear to me that there's growth here.

One of the lessons that's Dell has learned is that the consumer PC purchase tree is much different from the corporate one (and it's well passed the point where consumer PC purchase meant buying a business PC and taking it home). The things that drive large enterprise sales, such as TCO, consistent form factor and homogenous components etc are every different than what motivates consumers to purchase. In fact, often consumer purchase drivers are the opposite of what drives business. Starting to offer cooler form factors and a choice of colors is nice (and it comes nearly ten years after Apple started the trend) but it's going to take more than that. It's also about the software experience that Dell needs to deliver on their machines to emphasize task centric functionality as well as a marketing campaign to get the word out. Overall, it's a good move for Dell and one that's overdue.