Dell Plans to Release PDA Products in U.S. Later This Month
Dow Jones Business News
Monday November 4, 3:33 pm ET
LONDON -- U.S. computer manufacturer Dell Computer Corp. (NasdaqNM:DELL - News) will release its first personal digital assistant, or PDA products in the U.S. in late November, a company spokeswoman said Monday.
In an interview with Dow Jones Newswires, Leslie Geesey, vice president and general manager, global segment, Dell EMEA, said Dell will release two PDA products in time for Christmas, with the official launch date Nov. 18.
"We expect the market to react favorably. The PDAs will be ready for Christmas at really exciting price points," said Ms. Geesey.
She said Dell will launch the PDAs into Europe at the beginning of its fiscal first quarter.
Ms. Geesey, speaking from research firm Gartner Inc.'s (ITB) IT Symposium in Cannes, France, said Dell is starting to see increased project activity among its largest customers.
"It's quite encouraging. It may be signs of economic recovery, or an acknowledgment that (customers) can't stop spending forever," she said.
Ms. Geesey said demand for storage and server products from its largest customers is increasing, accompanied by some replacement cycle kicking in.
"The underlying business is coming back and growing a bit stronger, but there are also new projects -- a little bit of investment," she said.
Ms. Geesey said some of its largest customers, predominantly Fortune 500 companies, are engaging in a complete overhaul of IT systems, and demand is increasing for managed services around the computers.
She added that among retail consumers, Dell sees opportunities for market penetration in markets such as China and Latin America. Dell also expects to increase its presence in more mature retail consumer markets by driving down the cost of computers.
Ms. Geesey said the signs of increased demand from its largest customers had been evident prior to the third quarter but qualified that by saying despite the encouraging signs, clients are much more careful about spending in the current environment.
"We're seeing customers do a great deal of due diligence," she noted.
She also said that innovation in the IT industry will not necessarily be based around new products, but instead in improving the end-users' experience whilst decreasing their costs -- "That's where innovation is vital."
-Nic Fildes, Dow Jones Newswires; 44-20-7842-9264; nicolas.fildes@dowjones.com |
