Slashdot Mirror
It's Official Dell Acquired Alienware
robyn217 writes "Dell just confirmed today that it had acquired boutique PC vendor Alienware. Alienware's Nelson Gonzalez said that his company will continue on with its own brand, design, sales and marketing, and support, though, so Alienware isn't going anywhere just yet. Gonzalez also said that Alienware PCs would not carry a Dell logo, and that he would report directly to Jim Schneider, Dell's chief financial officer. "I think that you'll find it very hard to find the Dell name on the [Alienware] web site," he said." The rumor is now fact.
"Nobody builds their own Ferrari." I wouldn't really trust Honda to build my Ferrari...
Please, for the good of Humanity, vote Obama.
I wonder whether Alienware machines will continue to use AMD chips, or whether pressure on Dell from Intel will lead to their gradual phasing out. If the latter, then I can't see Alienware hanging on to the bleeding-edge gaming market...
Tubal-Cain smokes the white owl.
Err, I mean $9930 PC.
Look at the Dell DJ. It hasn't gotten anywhere at all because Dell is just not a brand that normal people associate with cool gadgets and computers. Well that and Apple has the holy trinity of music distribution, but anyway...
Dell stands to reap a lot of benefits by letting Alienware be Alienware. It sends money their way and is a brand that helps them fight Apple. Switching them to Dell would dull the appeal of the product line if for no other reason than Dell is seen as the functional, not fast and gamer machine, makers.
Perhaps while Dell is at it, they can acquire a colon?
Oh, you communicate directly to the CFO. Well then, they couldn't just make you put there name on it anyways.
Unless you have a contract that states dells name won't appear, and thatm hey won't influence the various aspects of Alienware, they will.
The IT world is littered with the dried up husks of good companies that were bought and told nothing would change.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
Dude you're getting an alien?
I don't get it.
With Dell's backing, hardware costs will go down and translate into even higher profit margins!
"'I think that you'll find it very hard to find the Dell name on the [Alienware] web site,' he said."
Google says: Results 1 - 91 of about 209 from alienware.com for dell. (0.29 seconds)
Not so hard.
...is the sound of millions of fanboys drawing in breath to yell "SELLOUTS!"
In my opinion Alienware sells overpriced hardware that simply looks cooler because of their case mods. I think the typical Alienware buyer thinks that this makes them oh-so-much better than someone who buys a Dell, I mean they don't even come standard with neon lights. I am going to enjoy asking Alienware customers how their Dell is doing. Lets see them try and brag about a Dell computer, with a straight face.
Philosophy.
Dell is known for using custom, (aka propietary) parts, which makes me wonder, will Alienware begin to use them to? I hope not.
Purple, because ice cream has no bones.
Alienware sells computers with AMD processors. By extension, Dell is selling AMD-based machines!
Although Dell's acquisition was widely anticipated, Alienware chief executive Nelson Gonzalez said that his company will remain a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dell, continuing its own brand, design, sales and marketing, and support.
Shucks, and I wanted to drop $4,000 on a new Alienware and talk to "Roger" from "Ohio" who was so nice to me when I owned my last Dell. While we rebooted the machine for the third time he asked me how the Packers were doing in the world series.
Nice fellows, those Dell support people... ye'sir.
Think about the joke before you mod me down.
Hard to find the word Dell on their site?
It's there over 130 times!
Just check Google
Specialist Mac support for creative pros, Melbourne
Now, Dell can have a niche brand that uses AMD processors for anyone who demands them, while Dell can continue to sell Intel-only systems and keep Intel happy.
Oh, and Dell... I don't believe that selling bare AMD processors on your website that cannot be put in any motherboards you sell is a convincing way to prove that you're not an exclusively Intel shop.
Not Porche, Porsche..and not even them. There's a spinoff called FA Porsche Design Group GmbH. They've designed everything from the LaCie hard drive to hair dryers to the only-in-Japan Subaru Legend B4 (link here: http://www.supercars.net/cars/1770.html, and that's the production model, the prototype looked better).
Yes, a *very* different company than the legend that brought us the 911.
If Alienware is going to be a wholly owned subsiderary of Dell and no Dell logos or associations will be seen with Alienware products or services, then what is the point?
Is dell just looking to send engineers over to Alienware to learn how to make gaming PCs?
Dellianware Alienellware Dalienware
firestream.net
I still remember when EA bought Origin. Garriot was quoted saying that Origin will still have control over their games and EA will just allow them to make bigger and better games with a wider distribution. I remember this because I remember it happened around the time Ultima 7 came out, and it worried me. While I never bought an Alienware box, these statements seem similar. As mentioned by others, Dell's hand will be there pushing in one direction or another. Maybe I am just jaded because my programming job at Dell was outsourced to a $5/hour Brazilian, but Dell is evil. No body smiled at work, and was always worried about loosing their jobs. Evil biz practices, like the Printer fiasco, and all of that makes me avoid Dell products.
And don't forget that Ford, the most common-man car company out there, makes the GT, which blows the pants off of most Ferraris.
Alienware Computers: Unreliable, and rife with design flaws
My deparment bought five Alineware Area51m 766 laptops in 2004. All of them have had to be returned, all with unique hardware issues. Three of them have gone back twice. Their tunraround for returns approaches three weeks.
Yes they are fast (very fast), but not worth it in the least. I've read similar horror stories about their desktops.
I don't always use unix-like operating systems; but when I do, I prefer FreeBSD.
Alienware's founders decided it was time to cash out. Smart move.
"Nelson Gonzalez said that his company will continue on with its own brand, design, sales and marketing, and support, though, so Alienware isn't going anywhere just yet. Gonzalez also said that Alienware PCs would not carry a Dell logo"
Then what the heck is dell in charge of? Profit taking?
"he would report directly to Jim Schneider, Dell's chief financial officer."
Oh.
-1 disagree is not a modifier for a reason. -1 troll, flaimbait, redundant, overrated are NOT acceptable substitutes.
Sadly, not for much longer...
On a side note, one of the guys I work with bought a red Ford GT several months ago. Drove it to work one day and let me get up close and personal with it; damn, they are even more gorgeous in person than in the photos! And you could hear it across the company campus when he fired it up. Too bad they're closing production, it's a sweet, sweet ride!
We don't care.
I've seen a number of comments questioning what Dell or Alienware gets out of this deal, if the two 'brands' remain effectively distinct. They both get a number of things out of it:
1) They get an existing, well-known high-end brand. Rather than trying to make a new high-end brand, which would require major expenses as well as a large change in public opinion. Would you want to buy a $4.00 coffee if it was sold under the, say, Maxwell House brand name? No offense to Maxwell House, but people don't necessarily see them as a high-end brand of coffee. They could try to start their own premium brand, and advertise it as such, but it still would bear the name of Maxwell House. If they would buy Starbucks and kept it mostly separate, they would be able to have an instant presence in the high-end market without having to carve out a niche from the existing brands.
2) They get to consolidate portions of the infrastructure. If a company prides itself on its products, it still has other, less glamorous departments, such as distribution. Though the existing distribution may need to expand to handle the additional load, it still would be smaller than the two individual networks. Note that distribution is used here as an example; since they ship using carrier companies, they probably don't have their own distribution networks. The concept may still hold true for certain other departments, though.
3) Alienware gets the benefit of Dell and their extensive advertising network. Where did you first hear about Alienware? Was it from an ad in a newspaper? A commercial on TV? What's more likely is that you heard about them from more specialized advertising, or from other techno-geeks. However, if Dell can convince the general public that "Hey! You're upgrading to the finer things in life - a faster car, a bigger TV - why not get a high-end computer too?" As a result, the Alienware brand gets more commonly known as a high-end computer brand, and sells more units.
4) Alienware gets the benefit of being able to expand more and eliminate bottlenecks in service. If they're waiting until there's money in the budget to expand the repair center, there are probably three or four other departments that can also use the increased budget. But if Dell is willing to put some money into Alienware, and let them smooth out the wrinkles in service, then they'll be able to expand the repair center, upgrade the assembly line, and train more workers all at once.
So as long as Dell keeps their promise to let Alienware continue on with its own brand, design, sales and marketing, and support, it looks like the beginning of a highly profitable relationship.
Dude, you're getting abducted.
Of course, Ford also owns Aston Martin, so they have their own super luxury brand.
Alienware products are awful. Don't take my word for it - http://www.resellerratings.com/seller1650.html
I bought a system from them and all of the following failed within three months:
- Microsoft gaming mouse
- IBM hard drive (these are notorious for failing, why did they use them?)
- Motherboard or CPU (don't know which, replaced both at once)
In addition, I got my choice of case colors. Turns out it's just spraypainted on. The slightest scratch of your fingernail on the keyboard and the paint comes off, with black plastic underneath. The warranty for the broken parts is worthless, they always assume the customer did something wrong and give you a total runaround until you're discouraged enough to quit calling.
Alienware customer service is abysmal, they told me over and over I'd be receiving my system in a week and it took them close to two months for me to get it.
The best thing Dell could do to save its brand name is beat all the Alienware employees with a rubber hose and then close the doors.
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=15 6621
http://www.m-techlaptops.com/alienware_vs.vodoo.ht m