Dell Moves Forward With The Copy Everyone Else Strategy

Computers

from the it's-worked-so-far dept

As was predicted earlier this week, Dell announced today its new consumer electronics strategy, which seems to be to steal the ideas everyone else is working on. The actual announcement was a little short on details, but they’ll be selling TVs like Gateway and music players like Apple. They’re also copying Apple by launching their own Dell music store. I’ve read through five different press accounts on the announcement and no one has any details, though, this one article suggests there will be copy protection involved (not a huge surprise, but just how bad the copy protection is will make a big difference). Dell’s strategy, of course, is mostly copying Apple’s – with the idea of creating a digital household that is all centered around the computer. Of course, while Apple goes for the more stylistic end of things, Dell will (as they always do) compete on price, by being the most ruthlessly efficient in their operations, such that they can undercut everyone else while still making their own margin. It should be interesting to see if the Dell music player and music service impact Apple’s pricing on their counterparts. Steve Jobs and Michael Dell have a long history of not liking each other very much (Dell having once asked why Apple mattered any more, and Jobs having once declared Dell as Apple’s “enemy”), so I’m sure Dell would take some satisfaction in cutting the bottom out of Apple’s music business.