Jun 10
Dell and Walmart
So I just saw a commercial saying that starting soon, you will be able to buy a Dell computer at the huge retailer, Walmart. For some reason this really put me back in my seat and so I decided to dig a little bit to see what was up. I found an article at BetaNews talking about the deal and namely how it was Dell’s “first step” into global retail. It’s just funny how times have changed. I remember “back in the day” (like the mid 90s), it was all about who made your computer. Back then, Gateway was a huge player in the PC game and a good desktop would set you back well over a grand. Then Gateway fell off when Dell stormed onto the market (that’s at least how I remember it) and Dell surged ahead under the guise of tremendous customer service.
I guess at that time, computers were still relatively new in the consumer market and people were still plenty intimidated of them so the customer service tip was a good one. But now…well…Prices for everything computer are so cheap now. So much cheaper than back then. It seems that everyone now pretty much thinks a computer is a computer so the cheaper the price the better. And again, for the mainstream consumer market, I guess I can’t really fault them too much in this thinking. So I think that’s why Dell and Gateway and companies like them lost their edge. Why buy something online and have to worry about shipping and handling when you can go to a store TODAY and get something for cheaper that “does the same thing”?
Personally, I build all of my desktops (like so many of you) so I don’t have any particular affinity for Dell. But I think that the Walmart and Dell deal will be good for both. If Dell can get their $400ish computers into the stores, I think they’ll find a market. And even if their name isn’t what it once was, I think the idea of owning a $400 Dell computer will certainly attract an audience.
June 11th, 2007 at 8:55 pm
I’d be lying if I said I never owned a pre-built computer, but the computer I am typing on now is built with nearly all newegg parts, I have had it for a couple years now and yet its running windows vista very nice.
I’ve never liked Dell either, but I agree that having a brand name like Dell sold in stores will continue to help bring computers into homes.
June 12th, 2007 at 6:39 am
Hey, the first computer I bought was a pre-built! No worries. But yeah, I always used to tell ppl (when I was in retail) that pre-built computers usually weren’t too good for upgrading later. Another plus for building your own!
November 22nd, 2007 at 6:00 pm
Hey Bush,
What are your thoughts of the new $199 green pc at Walmart?
Cheers!
November 22nd, 2007 at 8:18 pm
@CHESSNOID – I found a great article on the subject here @ http://www.switched.com/2007/11/01/wal-mart-gets-200-green-pc/. I guess at this point my thoughts are pretty much all in that article. (#):) Personally, I’ve never had a Linux box and don’t know if I would ever do it. Sure the Comp Sci/Eng purists out there are all about Linux because it’s greasy fast and efficient (amongst other reasons), but I’d rather have a powerful desktop PC running XP (or even a Mac OS). I’ve just become to accustomed to all my stupid little apps. (#):)