Dell
For real!
My friend Stephanie has a Dell Inspiron 1520 laptop. (Purchased last year before I knew her, else, it would have been an HP – believe that!)
Anyhoo, unfortunately for Stephanie, she inadvertently clicked on a particularly nasty piece of malware...(read more)
Now I know why Jon Schwartz was made CEO of Sun, Inc.!
In my post here, I alluded to Sr. Schwartz's admirable intelligence and relative youth as being advantageous to Sun, while warning him to avoid the pitfalls of his boorish predecessor.
Since then, J Schwartz had delivered.
Last week I was at the Microsoft Windows Consumer Experience space in New York City.
At this event, primarily targeted at the consumer, as the name proclaims, I saw the directions being embarked upon by manufacturers in the notebook space and also in the gaming and all-in-one systems space.
My takeaway: watch out!
These systems represent the vanguard of a new thought process in delivering products in the PC space, with great design being in lockstep with engineering.
I demo-ed the following systems:
Michael Dell must read my blog!
Coming on the heels of my post here are reports that Dell (the company) is rethinking that absurd decision to preload Linux on systems shipped there.
Good for you, Mike.
Why don't you take a miniscule fraction of the funds you would have devoted to certifying and promoting that stepchild OS and utilize it in training the droids that are supposedly your customer service and technical support departments?
As expected, Linux fanboi is not happy!
I am.
© 2007, John Obeto II for SmallBizVista.com®
If Mikey thinks that this is the way to get back on top maintain #2, he is sorely mistaken.
According to the number of yobs posting on the Dell Ideastorm web site, Linux, instead of crapware-free Windows installs, seems to be the numero uno problem users have with his systems.
Mick, step away from that IT crack pipe and shake the wax offa your head! OK?
If you take that totally unscientific sampling as gospel, what you will find out, to the detriment of DELL holders, is that you have just been had by the most vocal group of biped a$$wipes on Terra.
Listen Mike, what you need to do, is meet with forward thinkers, internal to Dell and without, and create an extraordinary OOBE for your users.
And I don't mean the crap loaded on your systems for a vig from the companies. All those time-bombed pieces of crap just serve to piss users off. Not to mention the 3-versions late software as well.
What you want to do is get Bruce Kasrel and the Live group from Microsoft to deliver an experience worthy of your name. And it is your name on the company, Mikhail!
And make those vendors give your users a year's worth of software for placement with your users. If they believe in their products, then they should believe that there is enough of a valueadd in their products for users to re-up at the end of a year.
Right now, what separates you from anyone else?
So just what is your differentiator?
The pittance you get from each crapware vendor cannot be worth the dilution to your brand, Mickey!
As for the default installs, remember, Windows Vista. And with a concession to your software ho's, add a menu asking users if they want the software installed on their systems. Give them the option to install the crap.
BTW, you would find out that after the 10,000 or so Linux fans who might order from you, the spigot would dry up; then what are you going to do? What about the investment in certifying your systems for Linux? For what amounts to less than a rounding error?
There is a reason Linux has 1.5% or so of client computers: outside of the IT 'ivory towers': no one, but no one, gives a fu*k about it. They want Linux, have them do what what they have done so far, download, compile and whatnot.
Please return to the astute guy who ran PCs Limited, and please, pretty please, don't pick up the stupid Linux crystal meth that Linux fanboi is trying to get you to smoke or whatever they do with that illegal substance.
If not, Dude, nobody will be getting a Dell!
© 2007, John Obeto II for SmallBizVista.com®
There seems to be no better time to pile on than when a lion is wounded.
If 2006 was the Mother of All Bad Business Years for Sony, guess what 2007 is shaping up to be for Dell - the company and stock?
Let's see:
Now comes a class-action suit filed by employees at an Oregon call center accusing the company of short-changing them.
I sincerely hope that it is not the case!
How jacked would it be that the CEO get $$$ for efficiency while simultaneously shafting the working stiffs who were your first line of contact with customers?
I hope Mikey fixes things, and fast, because, at the end of the day, no one would remember that former placeholder: it is your name on the building, Michael!
© 2007, John Obeto II for SmallBizVista.com®