Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) piles on new initiatives every other week as it continues to try and find sales promotions that actually work. One of the latest is a Nickelodeon-themed PC (in slime-green, no less) that will come loaded with educational content instead of the usual assortment of junkware most new PCs come with.
Dell, the king of commodity in the PC business, will feature Inspiron netbook PCs that come in trademark designs direct from some of Nickelodeon's hit shows like "iCarly" and "SpongeBob SquarePants." These netbooks PC will come with a personalized user interface from the kids' network, along with branded wallpaper and icons and stuffed with educational software, entertainment software, and easy access to Nickelodeon's online content. This is more of a win for Nickelodeon, obviously, but it will be interesting to see if this bumps Dell's netbook PC market share in any meaningful way.
But Dell may soon go even further, as it pushes into college- and pro sports-themed PCs. To a point, Dell may have something here if it keeps this type of personalization within the netbook realm. These PCs are going everywhere with people (unlike standard laptops), just like a cellphone or iPod.
Consumers want to personalize them with colors and designs due to this type of public expression as well. Most netbook PCs are a boring black and gray (save Acer's Aspire in many colors). We'll see these themed netbook PCs in October at Dell.com and from retailers such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT).
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