Mup

Dell: Where's the Competitive Advantage?

There is a way for Dell to thrive. All they have to do is spin off a subsidiary, buy Ubuntu or some other Linux distro, and adopt Apple's business model by making a vertically integrated product. It would take some work to design distinctive hardware and make their version of Linux ready for the masses, but it can be done. They can compete with Apple on level ground.

Why Apple's Mac ASPs Are Likely To Climb - At Lenovo's And Dell's Expense

Some of the hardware manufacturers ought to think about dumping Microsoft and imitating the Apple business model. What I mean is that some of the hardware manufacturers and the Linux distros could pair off. Each can target a different market segment and customize the user interface to fit. We could have a dozen or so Apples, all competing with integrated solutions, all profitable, and all compatible with each other because they use standard protocols and they run the same applications with the same file formats.

Apple's business model is a winner. Why not imitate it? Right now the Linux distros need some work before they can be used by people who don't speak Perl as their native language, but paired with a hardware manufacturer, it shouldn't be too hard to work that out.