“Dell is bringing XP back,” Ina Fried reports for CNET News. “Amid significant customer demand, the computer maker said on Thursday that it has returned to offering the older Windows version as an option on some of its consumer PCs.”
Fried reports, “Like most computer makers, Dell switched nearly entirely to Vista-based systems following Microsoft’s mainstream launch of the operating system in January. However, the company said its customers have been asking for XP as part of its IdeaStorm project, which asks customers to help the company come up with product ideas.”
“‘We heard you loud and clear on bringing the Windows XP option back to our Dell consumer PC offerings,’ Dell said on its Ideas in Action page. Users get to vote on various suggestions, and the notion of bringing back XP got 10,000 ‘points,’ making it among the most popular requests but well below top picks such as adding Linux or OpenOffice.org to its PCs,” Fried reports.
Fried reports, “Analysts say Dell’s move is not a good sign for Windows Vista. ‘That there is remaining demand from some segment of (the) consumer market points to the inability of Vista to resonate with consumers,’ IDC analyst Richard Shim said.”
“Microsoft product manager Michael Burk said in a statement: ‘Dell is responding appropriately to a small minority of customers that had this specific request. But, as they have said before, the vast majority of consumers want the latest and greatest technology, and that includes Windows Vista.’ The software maker has said it will stop selling Windows XP to large PC makers by January. Smaller computer sellers, known as system builders, will be able to sell XP machines for an additional year.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Vista’s reception is almost zunelike. Here’s an interesting bit of information: We went to Dell’s “IdeaStorm” website and checked it out. It seems that individual posts aren’t totaled together, so, for example the suggestion that Dell offer Windows XP is measured only by the post receiving the most votes. The post “Don’t eliminate XP just yet” has received 10,768 points, which seems to be the one to which Fried refers in his article. There are other calls for XP; they just receive less votes. Now, you can search the ideas, so that’s just what we did. We searched for “OS X,” found a bunch of posts asking for Dell to offer Mac OS X, and totaled them up. There are currently 7,751 votes for Dell to offer Mac OS X spread throughout Dell’s IdeaStorm site. That’s a story we haven’t seen covered; not that Apple would license Mac OS X to Dell, but that people are clamoring for Dell to offer Mac OS X.
One of the clearest posts also has a good number of votes already (440). It’s titled simply, “Add Mac OS X.” We wonder if any media outlet would cover it if that one got enough votes to move it up the “most popular” list?
Related articles:
Fortune: Michael Dell reiterates he’d love to sell Apple’s Mac OS X if only Jobs would license – January 22, 2007
PC box assemblers like Dell and others wish Apple would license Mac OS X – August 31, 2006
Michael Dell say’s he’d be happy to sell Apple’s Mac OS X if Steve Jobs decides to license – June 16, 2005
Fortune: PC makers realize Mac OS X is superior to Windows, they’re wooing Steve Jobs for licenses – May 26, 2005
Beleaguered Dell’s numbers don’t add up – April 09, 2007
Jim Cramer: Michael Dell is no Steve Jobs – March 30, 2007
Beleaguered Dell finds evidence of misconduct in internal investigation – March 30, 2007
Market researcher suggests that beleaguered Dell open high-end nightclubs – March 19, 2007
Beleaguered Dell slashes forecast for notebook shipments by 20-percent – March 13, 2007
BusinessWeek: Beleaguered Dell pulling out the pink slips? – March 08, 2007
Beleaguered Dell: Shut it down and give the money back to the shareholders – March 02, 2007
Beleaguered Dell’s earnings drop 33% – March 01, 2007
Beleaguered one-trick pony Dell faces unclear future – February 14, 2007
Biting words on Apple come back to haunt Dell – February 10, 2007
Dell faces investor lawsuit over ‘illegal Intel kickbacks’ – February 02, 2007
Michael Dell is no Steve Jobs – February 02, 2007
BusinessWeek: Welcome back, Michael Dell – don’t get too comfortable – February 01, 2007
Rollins out as beleaguered Dell’s CEO, replaced by Michael Dell immediately – January 31, 2007
Total eclipse of Michael Dell goes off as predicted – January 10, 2007
SEC starts formal probe of beleaguered Dell – November 16, 2006
Apple does it again: New Macbook Pros much cheaper than Dell – October 25, 2006
Dell feels the heat from Apple – October 04, 2006
The Motley Fool: ‘Intel to Dell: you guys stink’ – September 28, 2006
Beleaguered Dell’s OS-limited PC sales ‘declining rapidly below expectations’ – analyst – September 21, 2006
Fortune compares Mac vs. Dell: ‘you’ll get more for your money with Apple’ – September 11, 2006
AP: Time to think different, Apple Mac beats Dell on price, software compatibility, and more – August 23, 2006
Dell profit falls almost in half; announces informal SEC probe – August 18, 2006
Dell cannot compete with Apple’s new Mac Pro price or feature set – August 15, 2006
Bear Stearns: Apple’s new Mac Pro, Xserve pricing well below comparable Dell systems – August 09, 2006
Dell warns of earnings miss; shares plunge 15% – July 21, 2006
Survey shows big jump in consumer interest in buying Apple Mac; Dell takes steep slide – July 06, 2006
Dell warns 1Q earnings will miss mark; shares tumble – May 08, 2006
Apple passes Dell in market value – May 02, 2006
InformationWeek: Apple Mac run Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux; Dell and HP should be concerned – May 01, 2006
Dude, you got a Dell? What are you, stupid? Only Apple Macs run both Mac OS X and Windows! – April 05, 2006
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Steve Jobs emails Apple team: Michael Dell not the best prognosticator, Apple worth more than Dell – January 16, 2006
Here at Harvard, they are refurbishing all the desktop units. (Alas, this means Lenovo’s, but, hey, they’re slow here, and, let’s face it, Microsoft keeps the money coming in. At last count, over $150M in direct payments. Nice graft, if you can get it.) Anyway, they do this every three years. Still XP. Which means, Vista is three years away, if at all. In three years, they might just see the light.
OS X vot at 1010 now.
Give the money back to the shareholders at 401.
Listen, Michael, you’ve failed to reach the minimum quota and your company is deep into the no-discount “red” zone.
– But Steve, it’s not my fault you haven’t delivered a product that consumers want!
Read the contract, Mike; it’s spelled out loud [sic] and clear.
– Hey, you’re not the only company that’s hurtin. I’m selling squat after the XP blip. I’ll have to consider Linux to prevent my company from going under!
You do that and you’re toast! If you do Linux, Linux is all you’ll do, know what I’m sayin’?
– That would be “bad” [MDN Magic Word] for both of us. Lookee here, just let me sell XP too … at least until you can work the <strike>bugs out of</strike> … er, optimize Vista. We’ll get revenue; you’ll get revenue; the customers will be happy!
That’s an obsolete OS; we’ve killed it. You’re just not marketing Vista properly.
– I can’t keep paying off the pundits without any cash flow. XP is money for chrissakes! Money for us…and for you. Make the quota for both systems and we’ll be trotting until Vista takes over – win, win, win. You wanna win, right?
Both systems, eh? Okay, we’ll give you three months.
– Then subject to review, orright? [Sweating, now.]
And the price of XP is $35…then subject to review too!
[Exit Ballmer, kicking a chair over.]
Stop voting for OS X!!! Vote for some form of Linux instead!
Voting for Dell to offer OS X is like shooting Apple in the foot. Apple is a HARDWARE company first, software and services (.mac) second. Plus, who’d want to purchase crappy Dell hardware anyway.
Doesn’t anyone remember the “Clone Wars” a few years back? When Apple opened up Mac OS? All it did was take market share away from Apple.
Welcome back ‘The Real Mindless Fanboy’, or is it ‘Sputnick’? Sadly enough I missed you troll.
Where’ve you been? Over at DellDailyNews?
Dells are *horrible* machines – why would anybody want one with ANY OS on it?
Hey all you idiots voting for Mac OS X on Dell’s site, please stop it already! For one thing, you should only vote for that if you are going to buy a damn Dell with OS X on it! not to mention the fact that any decent journalist is not going to write an article about this when he/she can clearly see Apple Fanboy input into that idea poll. That site is for PC users (poor sods).
I love Apple all the way, and I totally agree with what many others have said here: that controlling the hardware and software as Apple does, really gives us the stable platform we love. Do we really want Apple to become a behemoth MS-like company just to get “marketshare”? You’ve got to be kidding. Remember the story of David and Goliath. The smaller leaner quick-moving fast thinking company will be the better. As long as Apple has above critical marketshare to stay in business, why are we not happy with that?
The Clone Wars are over anyway, years ago.
“@MacMania
Welcome back ‘The Real Mindless Fanboy’, or is it ‘Sputnick’? Sadly enough I missed you troll. Where’ve you been? Over at DellDailyNews?”
Naaaa, it seems that my handle “Mindless fanboy” has been banned from this site.. Hahahahahahaha Cracks me up, MDN is really an “open minded site”… Seems the only opinions welcome are, “WOOOO HOOOO APPLE, I wanna have Steve Jobs’ Baby”…..
Censorship on the Internet is never welcome.. I have been running BBS’s (1st started in Dial up in 1982 with a C64) and people who attempt to limit the conversation to only those they agree with are simply trash……
As you say here, thanks for playin tho. I reture to my newest venture. It’s political in nature, but we don’t censor anyone’s opinion!
http://pumanews.com
Love your insights on global warming. Ya big boob.
“My belief is that three, four years from now, the globe will start to cool again, as it did from the middle ’40s to the middle ’70s.”
And you quote this fool? “My Belief”
Belief is the opposite of thought. Ya big boob.
It makes me smile that there are almost no comments on the articles on your page.
Oh Emm Gee. This guy is a complete whack job. This is like a car accident, horrible, but I just can’t look away! =) Rosie Spews Hate!!! Wow, like you do at least eleven times per paragraph! You just can’t make stuff like this up. Unless you’re a big boob. Ya big boob.
-moonbat
-moonbat
Not to worry Chrissy One… The Democrats are in power… That means you will still be able to collect your welfare check, play all day on the internet, demand working people give scum like you free handouts, and warn people about global warming…
WOOOOOOO HOOOO!!!!!!! Of course employment isn’t an option for you!!!! WOOOOOOO HOOOOO!!!!!
Goodbye Chrissy, I’ve had my fill of Mac Daily “News”….
Have fun on your little message board all by yourself. =)
You pathetic jackass.
MDN – We’re there any posts suggesting that Dell should “just shut down and give the money back to the shareholders?”
So Dell’s bringing back XP to an extent.
But Microsoft is still “publicly gloating” about Vista all the way (well, mainly at their site). Heck, they don’t prefer Windows XP anymore.
But I do:
– No User Account Control!
– Less confusing than Vista!
– Many more programs available!
– Still loved and used by millions!
– Be a rebel against Microsoft!
– Can run on more machines!
– Works with Parallels and Boot Camp!
Microsoft will only stop “publicly gloating” about Vista when they start “publicly gloating” about the next pile of crap.
Meanwhile, Dell is likely to add Linux to their line.
Mac OS X? Only when Apple allows Dell to do so, and when Dell makes hardware that would meet Apple’s standards.
Thank you for your lack of support, and remember that Microsoft still wouldn’t stop “publicly gloating” about the Zune if they realized that it could never kill 100 million iPods.