Dell gives in to customer demand and will now sell Linux PCs

Posted Mar 1st 2007 2:25PM by Brian White
Filed under: Competitive Strategy, Dell (DELL)

Just a few weeks after Dell Inc. (NASDAQ:DELL) opened up its "IdeaStorm" digg-like customer blog and feedback forum, the top issues generated by customers at the site were asking (and in fact, pleading) for the world's second-largest PC maker to sell its PCs pre-loaded with the free Linux operating system.

While almost all PCs sold today include a copy of Microsoft's Windows operating system, the price of that Windows software is included in the PC's price. What if you don't want to pay for or receive Microsoft Windows on that new Dell PC? Fat chance during the last few years, as that was the only non-excludable operating system choice for almost all consumer-level PCs purchased from Dell.

But, in true Michael Dell fashion, the computer maker's recent top management changes -- including the return of Dell himself to the CEO position -- renewed a focus on what customers want. This is great news, as companies collude all day long in glad-handed deals to sell each other's wares regardless of what the customer wants. Dell himself built the company he is now running again by focusing on what customers really want.

Whether the Linux crowd is just a vocal minority or a representation of a larger customer base that does not want to pay for Windows in the price of a PC any longer, the option to include Linux on new Dell PCs is a return to what Dell used to do best -- listen to and respond to customers. It'll be interesting to see how its next few fiscal quarters break out in terms of how many PCs ship with Windows and with Linux, yes?

Tags: Dell, Dell Linux, Dell, Inc., Dell,Inc., DellLinux, Linus, Linux on Dell, LinuxOnDell

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

3-01-2007 @ 10:31PM

David Skilling said...

Dell has offered Linux since at least 2001 on some models available to any consumer. While Dells sales to the regular street consumer are only 15% of total Dell sales an even smaller portion of that 15% are attempting to get Dell to configure and support all models offered the public to work with all flavors of linux. This demand--if followed--will add cost to all personal computers including those satisified with windows. I dont want to pay for this.
If Dell would list all their linux capable components and offer these few retail Linux customers an opportunity to configure and buy a computer with no operating system --without support except for hardware failure-- most of these users would still be dissatisfied.

Dell is not entirely without fault--I can recall a service person (sounded like Benny Hill doing a Pakistani impression) walking me thru an unwanted formatting of my hard drive.
I think the second most onerous thing in Dell is the preinstalled junk or trial software. If Dell included full versions of software (60 day trial period/completely uninstallable) as a CD to be installed at the new owners option it would be an improvement. A side benefit would be that these software manufacturers would have to support this trial software if they were to have any hope of getting that business.