The "problem" with Dell is that it's just a label on a computer box...nothing else.
And that's a pretty slim reed to lean on in a global economy that has the likes of China and India who want to eat your curry every morning...!
Computers are "assembled" out of various generic parts...Dell doesn't make any of these parts...it merely assembles them and sticks on the label....
Now "branding" used to be important in the early days of consumerism...and indeed in the early days of the personal computer. Because people were concerned about quality and they did not know the product that well.
Now people are not so afraid of their computers anymore...and the prices have dropped so low that a computer is like a cheap watch or pair of shoes...when they are used up...you throw them out and buy a new one. Computers used to cost $2000...now you can get a good one for $200 and toss it when you see a better deal.
Computers are being subjected to "commodity pricing"...they are not unique...one is as good as another. And that is the death of "branding."
Just as one bushel of corn is the same as another...so too commodity pricing has diminished the value of a "brand" ...in this case Dell's brand of computer.
I still love Dell computers...I have many of them. But I am not loyal to Dell in any way...I'll buy the best deal I can find with the most bells and whistles...and when it breaks...I'll toss it and buy something else.
Dell is just a label...one of many in the computer business. Alas, those who live by cut throat competition often die by cut throat competition... It happens all the time in business.
