Dell has scaled back the range of consumer PCs with processors from Advanced Micro Devices that it sells on its Web site, focusing almost exclusively on systems with Intel processors.
Dell’s entire line of AMD-based laptops for consumers, as well as most of its AMD-based consumer desktops, will now be sold only through Dell’s 10,000 retail outlets worldwide, said Dell spokeswoman Anne Camden.
Except for one desktop, the Inspiron 531, which includes the AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 4000+ processor, Dell will focus its online consumer sales on Intel-based PCs. For businesses, Dell will continue to sell a range of AMD-based systems online.
AMD-based systems tend to be priced lower than Intel-based systems, so it makes sense for Dell to ship AMD products through retail channels, said Dean McCarron, founder and principal at Mercury Research.
AMD said the move was part of a strategy to offer a wider range of AMD-based PCs through retail channels. “We are always evaluating product offerings and how customers can access them,” Camden said.
Not many consumers buy systems based on the processor type, she said, and few distinguish between AMD and Intel processors. Users select PCs based mostly on price and what they will use them for, such as surfing the Web or playing music and videos, she said.
Dell has expanded its in-store offerings over the past six months by signing up more retailers, including Best Buy and Wal-Mart in the U.S., Tesco in the U.K. and Bic Camera in Japan.