Here’s the biggest indication yet as to how unconvinced OEMs are when it comes to Windows 8’s suitability for tablets - PC giant Dell is still undecided as to whether it wants to use Windows 8 on its consumer tablets or Android.
Speaking with Reuters, Dell chief commercial officer Steve Felice says that the OEM giant learned from the mistakes its rivals such as HP, RIM and Motorola (not to mention the mistakes it made with its own Streak 7), made and now has a better understanding of how consumers now value the ‘ecosystem’ as much as the actual hardware itself.
‘You will see us enter this market in a bigger way toward the end of the year,’ said Felice. ‘So we are not really deemphasizing it, we are really being very careful how we enter it.’
But what OS will be powering Dell’s tablets? Felice is non-committal.
‘We like Windows 8 but we continue to develop with Android as well. We are still going to be more choice-driven, based on the feedback we get from customers.’
Ohhh, there’s that word … choice. It’s funny that Dell doesn’t give PC buyers much of a choice as to what OS they get (It’s pretty much Windows or nothing), but when it comes to tablets there’s talk of choice. That’s interesting, especially when combined with the earlier ecosystem comment. Is it that Dell wants consumers to have a choice, or is the company worried that there initially won’t be much of an ecosystem supporting Windows 8 tablets and is hedging its bets.
Interesting to see such uncertainty at this state from a big OEM.
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technology author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology.
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Adrian Kingsley-Hughes
All opinions expressed on Hardware 2.0 are those of Adrian Kingsley-Hughes. Every effort is made to ensure that the information posted is accurate. If you have any comments, queries or corrections, please contact Adrian via the email link here. Any possible conflicts of interest will be posted below. [Updated: February 23, 2010] - Adrian Kingsley-Hughes has no business relationships, affiliations, investments, or other actual/potential conflicts of interest relating to the content posted so far on this blog.
Biography
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technology author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology -- whether that be by learning to program, building a PC from a pile of parts, or helping them get the most from their new MP3 player or digital camera.
Adrian has authored/co-authored technical books on a variety of topics, ranging from programming to building and maintaining PCs. His most recent books include "Build the Ultimate Custom PC", "Beginning Programming" and "The PC Doctor's Fix It Yourself Guide". He has also written training manuals that have been used by a number of Fortune 500 companies.
Adrian also runs a popular blog under the name The PC Doctor, where he covers a range of computer-related topics -- from security to repairing and upgrading.
