Dell: Does PC Design Really Matter?

Dell (DELL) CEO Michael Dell mentioned the product lust mantra last year and has come back to it repeatedly in conference calls and analyst meetings. Dell’s message: The company needs to improve design and inspire a few ‘gotta have that’ moments from technology buyers.

How is Dell doing?

There’s no coolness metric so these observations are totally subjective. But appears that Dell has definitely improved its product design capabilities and can generate some product lust. I’m presently window shopping for a laptop so I’ve been paying more attention to design and what company delivers the goods. I’ve been a Dell customer in the past and unlike some of you I haven’t had a bad experience. My last three PCs have been Dells. I’ve also purchased a few Apples.

This time around my shopping is more wide open. I’m forcing myself to consider a wide range of options and checking out Dell, HP (HPQ), Acer, Lenovo (LNVGY) and others. I’ve been focusing on Windows laptops for my shopping experiment because I already know what I’ll get from Apple. The choice is Apple (AAPL) or other PC makers. Besides the design equation is more muddled on the Windows laptop front so it’s more interesting as an exercise.

Also see:  Gallery: Dell’s designs on product lust

Let’s face it: Most Windows laptops are the same with few exceptions. How important is design? For me it’s probably a close second behind price. For others, design is everything. In fact, it’s probably the only thing that will get you to move up the price scale all other things equal. A few thoughts about Dell’s product lust standing against others as I work through my options:

Does color really matter? Am I really so superficial that I care whether a laptop is red, blue or espresso brown. Yeah. Perhaps it’s because I’m tapping this post out on a boring black–yet very reliable ThinkPad–but I do look at Dell’s color pallet and am drawn to it. Feel free to mock me–I mock myself. But Dell’s color choices–which looked totally cliche when it launched a year ago–matters a bit. In fact, I take back my initial skepticism. There’s something to be said for a Flamingo Pink laptop–although I won’t be ordering one. Oddly enough other vendors haven’t gone color happy. HP sticks with a brushed metallic look on its latest line of notebooks. And last word on the color as design thing. You could do worse. Acer has laptop with a Ferrari logo–puhleeze.

Is Dell pushing the envelope? Dell is also going beyond mere colors (it is offering prints too) but is also playing with the form factors–targeting the Eee PC and MacBook Air. According to Engadget, Dell is playing with netbooks and other small devices. However, every other vendor is also targeting this netbook market, but this category is something that Dell would have brushed off a few years ago.

Perception matters. I haven’t gotten into little things like port placement, webcams and other items (largely because it’s all the same to me). What’s left is perception in this comparison shopping is perception. Design matters, but so does vendor perception. Overall, I feel better about Dell. Financially, the company’s prospects haven’t improved all that much but things are looking up. In addition, Dell is more open to customers now and its blogging efforts and engagement has paid off. And Dell’s anti-crapware comments a year ago have stuck with me. Dell was anti-crapware for business PCs but there’s an easy opt-out for consumer PCs too. Crapware isn’t a design element but not having it is a big win. And if you’re pondering a Vista machine the last thing you need is crapware gumming up the works.

Bottom line: While Dell hasn’t inspired an overwhelming bout of product lust it is comparable–if not ahead of–its rivals. Overall though the design chops for all the PC manufacturers could improve dramatically.

Comments

[Cho Cha]

Get a MacBook Pro and you won't be sorry. Use VMWare for your virtual machine and you can run windows and PC based software faster than any PC notebook.

[Canada Mark]

So Color = Design?

A Red Kia is a better design than a Black Porche?
Very shallow article that does not address true design, utility, or cutting edge features. The Dell "crapware-free&qu... option is also crazy.

[Hayweed]

Porsche is the correct spelling. Guess you don't have one.

[Slimsum]

Like the author, I bought only Dell and never had a problem. When I finally did, I got nothing but crap from their support. Even after I told them that I would never buy from them again they didn't seem to care. No one from Dell ever asked why they had lost a good customer.

Since then, I have purchased five computers, two desktops and three laptops from HPQ. Service is excellent and suport is outstanding. I'd never go back to Dell.

[jervis961]

Dell seems to be improving in the design of its computers but like mentioned above it is more than just colors that make a design. The leaked photos of some of the upcoming notebooks look very nice. I don't quite like the Dell mini notebook though at it looks too much like the Inspirons. Dell has been given several great ideas on its IdeaStorm site but it seems that the competition is the ones taking the cues from Dell's customers. HP has made notebooks with swivel screens, Lenovo is moving towards a better multimedia experience and Apple is going mult-touch with touch pads. Dell spends too much time watching others react before making up their own minds. Hopefully this will change soon.

[amused bystander]

Looks like Michael Dell believes in his upcoming products so much he bought 100mln worth of his stock today..