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Technology Stocks : Dell Technologies Inc. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jim Patterson who wrote (26982)	1/6/1998 4:58:00 PM
From: Meathead	Respond to of 176387

Re:"Most presidents of companies or heads of households, the folks likely to approve or disaprove of the purchace, Focus on MHZ and MB of ram and Does it have a CD-ROM. They don't care if it supports CLV or CAV or which manufacturer the HD is made by." Presidents of companies don't purchase PC's. Corporate PC's are purchased by folks who know far more about PC's than most anybody. Corporate PC purchases are 70% of the PC market. These functional details are extremely important to them as they are concerned with compatability and lifecycle costs so don't kid yourself into thinking specs are insignificant. The other 30% of PC's are sold to Joe public. At least half of them are smart enough to figure out where the best value for them is and they typically buy mid-range systems. That leaves about 15% of the home user buying public. While not an insignificant number, it still does not represent the majority. This 15% is overwhelmed by specifications. They don't understand the differences in technology. They either don't have the time, aptitude or desire to be computer literate. They typically rely on the advice of others and either buy the cheapest machine or the most expensive for fear of obsolescence. This minority generally will use the PC for internet access, budgeting, email and gaming. If they become enthralled with gaming... they will never be able to settle for sub-standard hardware, hence they become power users. There is a large untapped base of users and that's who entry level PC's are aimed at. I'd wager that these new entrants will wind up split 50/50 between techno-savvy and techno-phobic. MEATHEAD

To: Jim Patterson who wrote (26982)	1/6/1998 9:14:00 PM
From: jbn3	Respond to of 176387

re Your mistake here is that you assume buyers are as savy as you are. You err once again, Jim. Go back and read the thread (just this year). DELL's targeted consumer is NOT the first time buyer, although DELL's quality and reputation is garnering part of that market, too. DELL sells primarily to corporations, government, and education; and increasingly, to private persons. We have frequently pointed out that first-time buyers are much more likely to buy the machines they can see and play on at your typical vendor, than they are to buy DELL. However, as the consumer becomes more knowledgeabe, subsequent purchases tend increasingly to be a DELL, so that DELL is becoming a significant player in the personal computer market, too. Longer term, the sub-zeros are going to create additional demand for machines that can do whiz-bang things. My next purchase, for example, is going to be one of the multiple-monitor capable machines described by Peter Hendel. And hopefully, before they hit the $1000 price barrier. <g> regards, 3

To: Jim Patterson who wrote (26982)	1/6/1998 10:02:00 PM
From: Chas	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 176387

When the person who buys this junk, finds out about all the problems, incompatibility issues, limitations, etc. The learning curve goes up. Try reading the CPQ thread about all the complaints on those low end systems, there are lots of complaints,,,,. Most people can be stupid once, but quickly learn from their experience. I dont expect you will see repeat buyers. Packard Bell found that out. Stick with the good stuff and you can concentrate on other things than compatibility issues, and continual obsolescence. good luck, and hope you didnt buy one.