Fast Talk

I don't know how many people in their twenties would like a candy-colored laptop. Apple tried this with the neon-colored iMacs several years ago, and they weren't overly popular. It was an innovation, for sure, but the company realized it needed to move on from that, and they hit the mark with black, silver and white laptops. They're edgier, and always in style. A neon pink one is not. Especially for business.

Lipstick on a pig...

say...like in bright red APPLE? Color doesn't bring much to the media experience anymore...I think a bit more serious brainstorm may yield a better mock-up!

It may have some impact, but if that's all it takes, Gen-Y has some far bigger problems than it needs, and it needs to address them.

I think yes, it will be enough. For anyone not old enough to be aware of Dell's disastorous reliability and consumer relations problems, rainbow laptops are just the ticket...

Dell is going beyond just beefing up its laptops by adding a splash of "business pink." Fortune reports that new features include an optional Linux-based low-power mode which boots in two seconds, an easily removable door on the underside of the laptop that offers up all the major components for quick maintenance, and a Broadcom chip that gives it stronger security by encrypting the hardware.

The question should be redefined in the strategic nature of Dell's survival strategy. Is it going after Business or after Consumers? Just like Apple is unlikley to see its computer take overmainstream corporate america, it is unlikley that Dell would compete with Mac's brand prominence in esthetics and ergonomics. I would say: put more business grade applications and keep the biz market captive. The Y's are the pizza-coupon buyers: they'll change with the next one that arrives at their door. It is no long term marketing growth strategy for a power-brand like DELL.

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Because at the end of the rainbow, there's gold. Not so much for Dell.

Dell needs to concentrate on what their customers want...computers that work... especially with Vista and the hundreds of other software provides WE use. My mantra: people buy benefit, use product, talk brand. I don't need fashion I need function....that's the "benefit". They're losing that race right now.

Yes, because the surface is more important than the substance for Gen Y.

I don't think so...it will take much more than that.

It's easy to think of Apple as a hardware company, and this leads companies like Dell down silly roads to candy-colored laptops. But this is a red herring. One commenter wrote, "lipstick on a pig," and that's apt. The pig in this case is Windows. Software, you see, is Apple's secret sauce. Macbooks sell in white, black and silver because of Mac OS. Not the box. Not the LCD. It's the software. Ditto for every single other Apple product.