Dell hosted a large group of reporters from the Asia/Pacific/Japan (APJ) region earlier this week – introducing them to all aspects of our business. We sometime call these kinds of briefings “drinking from the fire hose” because the amount of information shared over the short time can be overwhelming. But attendees are usually appreciative – especially when they’ve flown halfway around the world for it.
I got to sit on the consumer business briefing, hosted by Alex Gruzen, our senior VP of consumer product marketing. Alex touched on a variety of consumer focus areas – including mobile growth, desktop category expansion, personalization, expanding retail presence and taking Alienware global.
Alex also provided some hands-on time with two consumer products we’ve previewed in recent weeks – the ultra small eco-responsible desktop and the ultra-mobile device (UMD) mini Inspiron. Interest in these devices remains high and details are still scarce, but David Flynn of APC Magazine seems impressed and shared his observations. Unfortunately, time constraints and real-time translations meant less time for Q&A, but below are a couple of exchanges that caught my attention.
Alex: What percent of Americans age 39 or younger have a tattoo somewhere on their body?
The answer is 40 percent. The point is personalization is important to individuals and Dell can deliver personalization in its products. Our new process that “tattoos” unique designs/artwork into the laptop’s exterior is going to take personalization to the next level. (For those of you with kids, like me, this puts the whole “why can’t I get a tattoo” question in a slightly different perspective, no?)
Anand Parthasarathy, The Hindu: Where are consumer products being designed?
Today, the physical industrial design center is mostly here in Austin – but we also have design teams in Taiwan and in China. We are in an evolutionary cycle and in the future you will see products that are designed by local teams that include different features specific to countries and regions. Understanding the needs of each region or country is really the starting point. We are working to streamline development cycles that will help our capacity grow. This is why you will see us expanding our offerings, designing products to meet price bands. For example, today we offer four different 15-inch laptops – value, mainstream, premium and gaming.
The level of interest in Dell’s consumer business is high, and I’m glad because I know what’s coming – and all I’ll say is folks – it only gets better and better!
