Dell Inc. has decided to backtrack on their policy of offering Vista as the only OS for its consumer line of desktop computers and laptops. Customers were complaining about the "Vista only" decision and wanted the option to select or go back to XP as well. Dell’s "Ideas in Action" website immediately started to sense what the pulse of the consumer was when posts revealed that a good deal of customers felt this way.
Dell responded by saying, "We heard you loud and clear on bringing the Windows XP option back to our Dell consumer PC offerings. Based on your feedback, the following Dell consumer systems with Windows XP are now immediately available on Dell.com: Dell Inspiron: 1405, 1705, 1505, 1501. Dell Dimension: E520, E521"
In a statement made earlier this month, Tom West, Dell’s Director of Small Business Marketing, said that XP wasn’t needed for consumer computers and evidently misread what the public really wanted. "Dell does not have plans to launch Windows XP for home users as the preference and demand is for the ‘latest and greatest’ technology which includes Windows Vista." At the time, XP would only be offered to "businesses."
Lionel Menchaca, the manager for digital media at Dell commented on West’s remarks, saying, "After Tom West’s post that said Dell would offer Windows XP on systems for small business customers, many Direct2Dell readers have commented or sent e-mails asking us to bring back Windows XP for home users as well. Today, we’re doing that."
Did PC gamers have a lot to do with the policy recall? Nobody is saying at Dell.
[via Computer World]
