Dell to Apple: Game On in Smartphones

By: Charles Cooper
Topics: Tech Talk

The years-long guessing game is (apparently) over: If we can believe this leak, Dell plans to enter the smartphone business after all.

Someone - presumably with the email suffix dell.com - supposedly provided details about an upcoming Windows Phone 7 smartphone, four Google Android smartphones, and two Android tablets to the tech blog Engadget. This would be a change of pace for a company which has in recent years focused on enterprise servers and corporate support services. But after watching how the iPhone has helped propel Apple's soaring growth - especially in the last year - Dell has concluded that it's the right time to broaden its ambitions in the booming market for consumer devices.

And the planned leak - let's assume for the time being that it's legit - worked as anticipated, with geek bloggers drooling in anticipation of the product launch, if and when that gets announced officially. Engadget says that the Windows-based Lightning will include a slide-out keyboard, a five mega-pixel camera and Flash. The Android-based Thunder comes with a a 4.1 inch OLED screen and features a new interface Dell worked up with the specific intent on hooking into social networks.

ZDNet's Larry Dignan, who offers up a more sober appreciation, nonetheless said his first impression was that Dell has a good chance of pulling this off:

"The message here: Dell is going to hit the smartphone market with a little scale. There's no sense in being Palm, which has nice software but only two devices that are now tired. Now it's very early in Dell's smartphone effort, but you can only say two words: Well played."

Of course, there still remains the not insignificant challenge of lining up retail distribution as well as carriers willing to partner. But if Dell has taken the first big step, then without putting too fine a point on it, the message from Michael Dell to Steve Jobs is this: Game on.

Charles Cooper is an executive editor at CNET News. He has covered technology and business for more than 25 years, working at CBSNews.com, the Associated Press, Computer & Software News, Computer Shopper, PC Week, and ZDNet. E-mail Charlie.
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by ConstableOdo April 23, 2010 1:04 AM EDT: Dell has no choice but to copy Apple. It's not the first time. They tried to do it with their mp3 players. Remember the Dell D.J. Ditty? No? And neither does anyone else. Still, why pass up a lucrative market when there's money to be made. If Dell thinks they can just jump in and take over the smartphone and tablet market, let them try. It's not going to be as easy as they think it is. I hope Dell has better product marketing skills than Palm or Google.

I knew for certain that after Apple came out with the iPhone and made a success out of it, that every computer manufacturer believed they could do a much better job than Apple and just steal the market away from Apple. They always use the same strategy. Add many more features and sell it for less than the iPhone. Instant victory. Good luck with that. Dell doesn't have a clue. At least they're going with the fresh Windows Phone 7 platform. They'd have been swimming with the sharks if they'd tried to go with Android. I wish Dell luck because they need something to pull them out of their flushed toilet bowl spin.; Reply to this comment


by straightener--2008 April 22, 2010 7:26 PM EDT: Why is it so hard to be better than Apple when you have the R&D might of Microsoft, Google, Motorola, etc. out there? I like iPhones, but sheesh! they are very expensive and somewhat limited. I think we have yet to see the ultimate in mobile technology...Apple had a good win with the iPhone, but I want more computing power, more storage, and more productive apps. Don't get me started on the development platform and specialized knowledge needed to develop applications on the iPhone and how draconian their policies across the topical spectrum are. They are a modern day Wang ready to go south if they don't watch it.; Reply to this comment


by thesevenveils April 22, 2010 3:20 PM EDT: Good Move Dell. HP is still asleep at the wheel. And to think, HP is the technological giant when compared to Dell and Apple.; Reply to this comment