DailyTech posted an interesting blurb today about Dell halting all of its online sales of AMD-based PCs, and shifting them to retail. They also had an interesting graphic that apparently pulled up when users search for AMD products on the Dell Web site, which said "Computers with AMD processors are not available online." I wasn't able to reproduce the message, so I called Dell for comment.
According to Anne Camden, a spokeswoman for the company, Dell has shifted its AMD-based Inspiron consumer notebooks to its retail stores. "We have not walked away from AMD," she said. "AMD-based Inspirons are now available to our retail partners, and not available on Dell.com."
Dell's enterprise products that use the AMD processor line -- the Vostro, Latitude, and PowerEdge servers -- will still be sold online. But the Inspiron desktops also appear to have disappeared as well (save for the Inspiron 531, noted below).
Dell's shift to retail is basically just a little over a week old, so I'm willing to cut them a little slack on adjusting their business model. In fact, the company's whole existence is basically predicated upon Dell's love/hate relationship with retailers, and whether or not sell PCs in that space -- and how to configure, present and sell retail products when that choice is made.
"We are constantly adjusting product offerings and how we can sell those product offerings," Camden said.
A note to Dell, though: the PC community isn't as fanatical about their products as those that tattoo apples on various body parts. There is a subset, though, that has purchased AMD products in the past and has an affinity for the company. Selling a PC in retail means that it's essentially pre-built, with limited configuration options. It might be wise to allow buyers to still select from a few of those AMD-based Inspirons online, if only to defuse the always-smoldering suspicions of the AMD fans.
Update 11:25 AM PDT: Dell has released a company statement:
"To ensure we deliver the best value to our customers, Dell regularly adjusts its product offerings, and how customers can purchase those products. Currently the majority of our consumer AMD-based systems are available through our retail partners such as Wal-Mart, Best Buy and Staples, and through telephone sales. Dell also sells a range of AMD-powered business notebooks, desktops and servers online. Certain product ranges or models may only be available through specific channels such as retail or phone. We are committed to the AMD product lines as a long-term partner to provide the maximum choice for our customers."
Examples of AMD-based products still sold online include the Inspiron 531, the Latitude D531, and the Dell OptiPlex 740, Dell said.
