Dell unveils Apple-like rebrand in an attempt to make PCs cool again

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By Brody Ford 

Dell Technologies Inc. is re-branding its PCs in a manner reminiscent of Apple Inc.’s naming conventions in an effort by the computer maker to spur demand. 

Decades-old product names for PCs such as “XPS” and “Inspiron” will be killed in favor of simplified branding around the word Dell in its new generation of devices, the company announced Monday ahead of CES, the annual consumer electronics show happening this week.

 

“Customers really prefer names that are easy to remember and easy to pronounce,” Chief Operating Officer Jeff Clarke said during a briefing with reporters ahead of the show. Buyers shouldn’t have to spend time “figuring out our nomenclature, which at times has been a bit confusing,” he said.

 

PC sales have been anemic for years following a buying frenzy toward the beginning of the pandemic. Dell and peers HP Inc. and Lenovo Group Ltd. have been trying new strategies to encourage upgrades. AI-optimised systems and a coming end-of-support for Microsoft Corp.’s Windows 10 have been touted as catalysts for new purchases.  

Now, most of the company’s new PCs will be divided into three tiers: Dell, Dell Pro and Dell Pro Max. 

 

Attendees at the press briefing were quick to question the similarities with how Apple names its devices. Recent iPhone generations also carry the names “pro” and “pro max” to differentiate higher-tiered devices.

 

“I am wondering why you guys didn’t choose something original, because you essentially have Apple’s branding here,” one audience member quipped. Another said “your branding sounds a lot like Apple — aren’t you just following them?”

 

Dell executives defended the choice, saying nobody owns words like “pro” or “max.” The decisions were supported by research with “tens of thousands of customers,” Clarke said. One similarity to Apple’s approach is the way that Dell is “anchoring” its products to one simple brand name, said Kevin Terwilliger, a vice president of Dell’s PC business.

 

Alienware, the brand of gaming-focused PCs Dell acquired in 2006, is exempt from the renaming. Many of the new Dell-branded devices will include neural processing units — chips optimised for artificial intelligence tasks, Terwilliger said in an interview.

 

“There’s an install base of 1.5 billion PCs — and it’s aging — and those PCs will need to be replaced with the AI innovation,” Chief Executive Officer Michael Dell said at the press briefing. The new naming will “make it easier for our customers to do business with us.”