Dell Copies Apple’s Homework in Desperate PC Revival Attempt
Dell Technologies is taking a page — or rather, the whole chapter — from Apple’s marketing playbook. The PC pioneer announced a dramatic simplification of its product lineup, retiring decades-old names like XPS and Inspiron in favor of Dell, Dell Pro, and Dell Pro Max. However, the move risks making Dell appear as a follower rather than an innovator — particularly as the company further complicates the rebrand with additional “Plus” and “Premium” designations across all three tiers.
- The rebranding announcement at CES prompted immediate skepticism from journalists, with attendees openly questioning Dell’s originality and pointing out the obvious parallels to Apple’s iPhone naming convention.
- Dell executives defended their decision, claiming “nobody owns words like pro or max” while citing research from “tens of thousands of customers.”
I’m a Mac, and I’m a Dell: This strategic shift comes as the company attempts to rejuvenate sluggish PC sales and capture a slice of the artificial intelligence computing wave. While Dell’s stock has grown by nearly 55% in the past year, the move has been driven by its AI server business — which grew 80% from the previous year. Meanwhile, its PC sales plunged 18%, and industry analysts don’t expect significant AI-driven market recovery until 2025 when AI-capable PCs are projected to represent 40% of global shipments.
