Dell trims AMD consumer PC offerings on Web site
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Dell Inc said on Friday it had  cut from its Web site most consumer computers with chips from  Advanced Micro Devices Inc and would sell AMD-based PCs mainly  in stores and by phone.
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Dell is allowing its customers to decline the unwanted software applications loaded on new PCs, after hundreds of users complained about such "bloatware" on a company blog.
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(InfoWorld) - Dell is allowing its customers to decline the unwanted software applications loaded on new PCs, after hundreds of users complained about such "bloatware" on a company blog. Many software companies pay PC vendors to install their applications on new computers, hoping to gain new customers or persuade users to upgrade to a new version. But customers say it can take a savvy user hours to remove unwanted programs, and those who are less sophisticated may never be able to reclaim the wasted memory. On Monday, Dell agreed to give buyers of certain models the option to avoid what the company calls "preinstalled software." Buyers of Dimension desktops, Inspiron notebooks, and XPS PCs can now click a field in Dell's online order form that will block the installation of software for productivity, ISPs, and photo and music. "Since we launched IdeaStorm, there has never been a shortage of conversation about 'bloatware' here! Well we've recently taken action on your feedback on this topic, and we're working toward giving customers more choice in the amount and type of software that is preinstalled on their systems at the time of purchase," Dell said on the blog. The company has also loaded an extra "uninstall utility" program on Dimension and Inspiron computers sold in the United States, making it easier for new computer users to remove software they don't want. However, Dell will continue to install three applications on its new computers, including trial versions of anti-virus software, Adobe Systems's Acrobat Reader, and Google's Google Toolbar, said Michelle Pearcy, Dell's worldwide client software manager in another posting. The company includes anti-virus software because many customers expect their PCs to be protected at first boot, Acrobat because it is required to read electronic copies of system documentation, and Google Toolbar because it aids Web surfing by suggesting likely alternatives to mistyped URLs, she said. "The end result is that customers can tailor the amount and type of software that is preinstalled on their systems to meet their specific needs at time of purchase," Pearcy said. Many users said Dell had not gone far enough, however. Dozens of comments attached to Pearcy's blog posting pleaded with the company to abstain from loading any software on a new machine except for Microsoft's Windows OS and Office tool suite. "Would love the ability to have a clean Vista install. No AOL software, no EarthLink software, no Google software -- just a clean, original OS," said someone writing under the name "ootleman" in a Feb. 16 posting that has since received thousands of votes on Dell's site. That post helped start the idea for Dell to give users more control, since it has remained one of the most popular ideas on the company's IdeaStorm Web site since being posted on the blog's first day, Pearcy said. Despite users' persistence, some may find it challenging to find a PC vendor that does not load extra software on new machines. Gateway did not respond to a request for comment, but Hewlett-Packard said it also preinstalls software. HP does not sell any PCs running only an OS, but it does allow individual users to remove the programs they don't like, said Melissa Stone, a spokeswoman for HP. "HP offers third-party software with its consumer PCs in order to provide customers with programs that will enhance their computing experience," Stone said. "Not all users will have the same preferences, therefore each user has the ability to keep or remove the programs he or she finds most valuable. Current products offer a very carefully chosen set of HP, Microsoft, and third-party software and services that HP believes will bring the most value to the customer."
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Though there may be fewer consumer notebook and desktop computers with AMD processor options available online through Dell Direct today than there were last week, an AMD spokesperson told BetaNews that Dell is not backing away.
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Possibly launching a rival to Apple's iPod Mini, Dell is expected to unleash a number of consumer gadgets.
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Blog: Dell adds Vostro line to menu of laptops and desktops
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(InfoWorld) - Advanced Micro DevicesÂ (AMD) announced its latest round of desktop processor price cuts on Monday, and rival Intel is expected to follow the move later this month. AMD slashed prices on its top-of-the-line desktop PC microprocessors on Monday to $599 per pair for the 3GHz version from $799, making it the same price as its 2.8GHz version. The move may be a sign it wants to clear out the chips ahead of the launch of itsÂ next generation chips, Barcelona. The company also reduced the price of some of its best dual-core processors, the Athlon 64 X2 6000+, which runs at 3.0GHz, fell to $178 from $241 and its AMD 64 X2 5600+, to $157 from $505, according to its latest price list. The company has apparently stopped producing several chips, the Athlon 64 X2 3600s and 3800s. A total of six AMD Athlon dual-core offerings for the desktop can now be bought for below $100 each. The company's single core desktop processors are all now priced below $100, with the Athlon 64 3200+, a 2GHz chip, at $48 and the Sempron 3200+, a 1.8GHz chip, at $31, the lowest price processor on the list. AMD's laptop PC processor prices remained the same. AMD and Intel have been in a tit-for-tatÂ price warÂ for well over a year now, and the results have been great for users -- particularly in desktop PCs. Price reductions for microprocessors and other computer components are a natural part of the business. As products age, they lose value, so lower prices are used as a way to entice users to spend less on slightly older technology. But theÂ market share battlesÂ between AMD and Intel in recent years have pushed both companies to boost technology and keep pricing down, to the benefit of users. Intel is expected to follow the AMD price reductions with a round of its own price slashing on July 22, according to a report by investment banking firm Goldman Sachs Group. Â
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Dell has cut prices on a number of products geared to enterprises. The PowerEdge 4600 dual-processor server price tag has been trimmed by about 22 percent, now starting as low as $4,194.
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Dell customers may now decline unwanted software or 'bloatware' applications loaded on new PCs.
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Dell Inc. (DELL.O), the world's largest PC maker, could announce an expanded selection of its consumer electronics line in the next several weeks, a retail industry analyst said on Wednesday.
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Dell Inc. DELL.O on Monday said  it had cut prices by as much as fifth for a range of products  aimed at U.S. corporate customers, as the computer maker passed  along savings from cheaper components.
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Chipmaker AMD has developed a low-cost Web access appliance called the &quot;Personal Information Communicator&quot; (PIC) that it plans to sell in developing countries.
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Dell on Monday dropped prices on select servers, workstations, desktops, and laptops aimed at corporate customers, saying it was passing along lower component costs to buyers.
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Dell has scaled back the range of consumer PCs with processors from Advanced Micro Devices that it sells on its Web site, focussing almost exclusively on systems with Intel processors.
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Advanced Micro Devices on Thursday formally announced a low-cost Internet device targeted at emerging markets. As reported earlier, AMD&#39;s Personal Internet Communicator is designed to provide Net connectivity
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(InfoWorld) - Dell Inc. Tuesday pointed to its adoption of processors from Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) for pushing it to US$677 million in profit for the third quarter, though the company has delayed reporting final numbers due to an accounting investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Dell's preliminary results mark anÂ improvement over the third quarter last year, when it reported $13.91 billion in revenue and a profit of $606 million. Dell reported revenue of $14.38 billion for the quarter, which ended Nov. 3, 2006. Dell did not offer an official comparison to the year-earlier figures, however. Dell reported earnings of $0.30 per share for the third quarter in 2006, beating the estimates of analysts who had expected Dell to earn $0.24 per share on revenue of $14.44 billion, according to a survey by Thomson Financial. The company was scheduled to report its earnings last Thursday, but delayed the move because it was trying to cooperate with investigations by the SEC and the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Company leaders had cited the same reason after they missed a deadline for notifying the SEC of their second quarter earnings. They have still not filed that report, called a Form 10-Q. Company executives were not available to comment on the results. The company filed the numbers in a press release only, skipping the traditional conference call with reporters and analysts. Dell pointed to its success in selling computers powered by AMD processors for its impressive numbers. After missing its earnings target for the first quarter, Dell said in May it would finally diversify from selling computers with chips from Intel Corp. Still, Dell is having a rocky year. In June, Chief Executive Kevin Rollins promised to rebound from weak earnings by investing $100 million in customer service and by using fewer rebates in setting PC prices. But in August, Dell was forced to recall 4.1 million defective laptop batteries. Next, Dell acknowledged it was under investigation by the SEC, and, last week, lost its status as world's largest PC vendor to rival Hewlett-Packard Co.(HP). HP turned up the pressure last week when it reported net income of $1.7 billion for the fourth quarter, more than four times its mark for that period last year. Â
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(InfoWorld) - Advanced Micro DevicesÂ (AMD) on Wednesday announced three dual-core additions to its Opteron processor lineup that use less power than standard versions of the chip. At the same time, the company added more dual-core Opteron chips to the high end of the line. Power consumption has become increasingly important in recent years, as companies look to wring the most computing performance from the power they consume, and reduce the heat generated by denser blade servers. The Opteron 1218 HE, 2218 HE and 8218 HE are 2.6GHz chips designed to require a maximum 68 watts of power, compared to 95 watts for the standard versions of the chips. The other new additions to the Opteron line, the 2220 and 8220, are 2.8GHz chips that designed for high-end servers and workstations and consume a maximum 95 watts of power, AMD said. All of the new chips are manufactured using a 90-nanometer production process and have 2MB of on-chip cache, according to AMD's Web site. The 1218 HE is priced at $432 in 1,000-unit quantities, a standard quotation method for processor sales. The 2218 HE and 8218 HE chips are priced at $611 and $1,340, respectively, in the same quantities. The 2220 and 8220 are priced at $698 and $1,514. AMD said server manufacturers such as Dell, Sun Microsystems, Hewlett-Packard, and IBM, will offer systems based on the new chips. Details of these servers were not immediately available.