Tealby, I think Lotus and Tivoli have been big successes for IBM, its the PC Company that I have a problem with. "Hate" is an overstatement, but I am disappointed in their performance. How else can you describe a division that literally created an industry and than allowed others (MSFT, INTC, CPQ, etc.) to take it away from them and dominate it. After all, we still talk about "IBM Compatibles" not Dell or something else.
Don't get me wrong, I like their products. I own one of their desktops and also a Thinkpad notebook and have been very satisfied with them. Its the management of the Division that is the problem. They did manage to increase market share slightly last year after several years of losing ground to their competitors. It remains to be seen if they can continue. The following quote from a recent research report sort of sums it up:
"IBM's corporate notebook customers in the sample express that IBM's problems are not so much a product failing, but a relationship issue, including declining customer service administration and lack of response. In addition to weaknesses in technical support response and repair time, IBM's scores also revealed a downward trend in pricing satisfaction, including price/performance, total cost of ownership, and volume discounts."
And this is with their corporate customers, their bread and butter!!! It is the one dark cloud I see on IBM's horizon. I wonder how long LVG will go before taking drastic action? Turn the whole thing over to Gateway to run? Stranger things have happened. |
