Dell makes machines with limited design value add, Apple makes machines with substantial design value add. ThinkPads, for example, also have design value add -- not because they look pretty (most people think they don't) -- but because (like Macs) they're lighter, smaller, and have better battery life than equivalent-power Taiwanese white box systems.
Toshiba and Sony also make machines with design value add. Dell, not much. Gateway/Acer, not at all. HP, maybe more than Dell, but not especially.
Ten years ago, almost all the market was in generic desktop boxes, and notebooks were a minor category. Dell's manufacturing and supply chain expertise allowed them to differentiate their systems through cost savings and through rapid production of customized systems. They could carry a few more components and sell people better boxes just by swapping in the right components.
Now, the problem is that generic boxes are purely a low-margin commodity, and all the margin is in systems that are actually engineered. Macs. Thinkpads. Elaborate gaming systems. Stuff where you don't just switch out a part or two and call it a different box. And that's not Dell's game.
Toshiba and Sony also make machines with design value add. Dell, not much. Gateway/Acer, not at all. HP, maybe more than Dell, but not especially.
Ten years ago, almost all the market was in generic desktop boxes, and notebooks were a minor category. Dell's manufacturing and supply chain expertise allowed them to differentiate their systems through cost savings and through rapid production of customized systems. They could carry a few more components and sell people better boxes just by swapping in the right components.
Now, the problem is that generic boxes are purely a low-margin commodity, and all the margin is in systems that are actually engineered. Macs. Thinkpads. Elaborate gaming systems. Stuff where you don't just switch out a part or two and call it a different box. And that's not Dell's game.