Is Dell PC 'best friend' material?
Posted
Sep 04 2008, 01:25 PM
by
Kim Peterson
Rating:
Dell describes its new mini PC, which debuts today, as "your new best friend." Sure, if I wanted a best friend that was shallow, can't remember much and dies after three hours. But I'm not the target market here.
Dell is casting the Inspiron Mini 9 as an on-the-road device for teens, tweens and travelers. The 2.28-pound computer is good for viewing Web sites, sending instant messages, blogging and uploading pictures, the company says. It costs $399 or $449, depending on the features you want.
That's a little pricey for what you get, or, rather, for what you don't get. The cheaper version only has an 8GB hard drive (16GB for the other one). And experts estimate battery life at just three hours. (A $349 version isn't available yet, but you can pre-order it).
Dell is careful to say that the computer is good for streaming content and enjoying online music, videos and games. In other words, you won't be able to put much in storage. This PC isn't meant to hold movies or music. It's an on-the-run, drop-in-and-chat device.
Which makes me wonder, who exactly would befriend the Inspiron Mini 9? Teens and tweens have a great chat/Web device: a cell phone. And a Dell PC, well, that's not the coolest thing to carry around anyway. Business travelers might use it, perhaps. I think the ideal audience here is college students who are comfortable with storing documents and pictures online (you get 2GB of free remote storage space).
Still, there is great potential for this class of mini-notebooks. Research firm Gartner estimates that 5.2 million units will be shipped by the end of this year and 8 million by the end of 2009. Shipments could reach 50 million by 2012.
Dell doesn't want to miss that boat. But in the bigger picture, this is another move by the company to reinvent itself. The company no longer wants to be the build-your-own-PC retailer of years past. Now, it's about getting into Wal-Mart and Best Buy with interesting and affordable products.
The problem is the Inspiron Mini 9 isn't very interesting or affordable.
Related reading:
Tough earnings squash Dell's mojo
Dell in hot water for deceptive advertising
Dell moves away from build-your-own-PC
Dell disappoints again
