Langlois, It is obvious that the production profile does not fit the use profile. Some of that is the 423/478 debacle as people shun the 423 socket like the plague, seeing it as a lame duck, and some is higher demand and some is bin split problems
Now a shift to white boxers indicates that the cost advantages that the major OEMs had iin the past are being eroded and a levelling is setting in. That means that the white box makers have similar costs to Dell in all the parts that make a box(I am sure Dell shaves a bit off here and there so it is not quite level).
So we now have white box versus Dell. Gateway, IBM, HP, and Compaq are still one or more tiers more expensive so thay are going to lose out to both the white boxers and to Dell.
The small SD shops are also very capable of competing with dell as well as the white boxers. They all buy very standard cases, mobos, powersupplies and other parts sold in volume at very low prices that are comparable to Dell's prices. Dells has more internal cost and a slightly lower parts cost, a reasonable balance.
Another advantage the SD shops have is they can sell with zero software on their machines and let the client use his own. It is a fact if life that 50% or so of SD shop machines are sold with zero wondows. the students have no trouble finding a stolen copy to put on their machines, even of XP, if it means saving $100 or so.
The shops here in Toronto routinely offer that option. They will also sell you whatever SW you want. Some even load full pirate loads of all major applications, but this happens in the small neighbourhood shops that know their clients and only do that to 'safe' clients.
This goes a long way towards offsetting the advantage of Dell and the whiteboxers when they do not need to compete with SW sales and can sell an OS less machine.
In fact the ability to sell with zero OS and zero office suite can now save 25-40% compared to systems with those components bundled into the product.
Honest people do not buy these systems that way, but vast the majority of techs and emgineers do.
Bill
IBM, Compaq, Gateway and HP are going to be torn to shreds, personal computer share-wise.
Bill |
