Top Dell Executive Casts Doubt on iPad’s Role in the Enterprise Market

[Maura]

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Dell’s global head of marketing for large enterprises and public organisations, Andy Lark, has been quoted by CIO Australia as being rather pessimistic about the iPad's chances in the enterprise market.

“I couldn’t be happier that Apple has created a market and built up enthusiasm but longer term, open, capable and affordable will win, not closed, high price and proprietory,†said Lark. “Apple is great if you’ve got a lot of money and live on an island. It’s not so great if you have to exist in a diverse, open, connected enterprise; simple things become quite complex.â€

Lark added that he believed that Dell would succeed where Apple would eventually fail because Dell had always taken the enterprise market into consideration when designing tablet PCs, whereas Apple was more focused on marketing the iPad as a consumer device. He also talked about the expense of buying an iPad with all its peripherals, including “a mouse.†Someone had better tell him that the iPad has a touch screen! Are there any iPad user out there who use a mouse with their iPad?!

These quotes seem to fly in the face of consistent reports from many different sources ever since the iPad was launched indicating that it had been very quickly adopted by the enterprise market, even quicker than the iPhone had been, in fact. Also many of the tablets that have been launched since the iPad have actually been more expensive than Apple’s tablet, so it seems that his argument may be a little shakey on both points.

Source: Apple iPad will fail in the enterprise: Dell - steve jobs, iPad, Dell Streak, dell, consumerisation of IT, apple ipad, Apple CEO Steve Jobs - CIO

 

[DontUnderstandMyIpad]

If affordable tables will win. Doesn't that mean that the iPad has an even greater advantage with iPad 1's now selling for as low as 300.

 

[Hasty]

Curious how quickly management and corporate culture reduces the awareness of people who were initially knowledgable. Staffers will always tell you what you want to hear, not what you should know........
Doesn't bode well for Dell's future if it's senior management is so ignorant.

Interesting also that that senior exec of Microsoft was also regarding tablets as ephemeral. He at least envisioned smart phones evolving into personal computers.

 

[jakeLowe]

Oh give me a break. Like a Dell guy will glorify iPad.

It's like pepsi CEO commenting on cocola.

 

[Hasty]

No one asked him to "glorify" lol.
He could just as easily kept his mouth shut, but what senior management ever does?

 

[tzimisce]

Oh give me a break. Like a Dell guy will glorify iPad.

It's like pepsi CEO commenting on cocola.

But didn't you read one of the senior VPs from Samsung admitting that they had to go back to the drawing board with their tablet in the face of iPad's dominance?

The problem with Mr Lark's statements is that he's gotten his facts dead wrong: a mouse with an iPad? Total cost of $1600 with accessories? In which parallel universe?

 

[dvmweb]

That's just yakkity yak! Doesn't matter what he thinks, because , he obviously does'nt get "it". You can't explain cool.

 

[Nunesjomarie]

Dell's quality and customer service has gone downhill in a hand basket. My Dell laptop was a huge disappointment, AND fell apart. My next laptop will be apple since becoming an iPad addict.

 

[tzimisce]

My company uses Dell desktops (exactly the 'enterprise market' Mr Lark was speaking of) and the only good thing about them is that they're cheap. I should add they're being phased out right now and replaced by Lenovo hardware.

 

[Good karma]

What ipad mouse is mr lark talking about? I go to apple stores regularly, and i have not seen any mouse for ipads in the acessory section. Executives like mr lark needs to stop larking around make such foolish statements. God how embarassing

 

[Berghammer]

It's remarkable that someone so senior would make such an obviously, and grotesquely, false claim with reporters in the room - many, if not all of whom are well aware that iPad can't be used with a mouse (among other things).

He may have been jet-lagged, but his wild exaggerations have made Dell look both foolish and desperate. And desperate they most likely are, as Android tablet makers compare their reportedly modest initial sales with the unprecedented demand for iPad2. A demand that even the legendarily well-oiled and massive Apple supply network is struggling to keep up with.

Their biggest problem for Android tablet makers is that they have not yet shown themselves to be innovators, choosing instead to ape the Apple eco-system, and adding minor technological 'improvements' which are of dubvious import to most users.

While Android may have 100 000 apps (less than a third the number Apple offers), it's been reported that all but a handfull are phone apps - not designed for the tablet. To be sure, this will change over time. But until the Android boys begin to look at real innovation, rather than small 'improvements' in the Apple originated design - a product now in the hands of 15 million users - many - if not most - consumers will be asking themselves: "Why buy a copy, when I can get the original?"

No wonder the Dell guy souns so desperate.