Spotlight on Dell

It's been interesting to watch Dell's strategy lately. As the wold's second largest PC maker, Dell has frequently been in the news as they swap market share for margins. Eager to cash in on the back-to-school craze, Dell has started selling their machines in stores, as opposed to being purchased directly by their customers. It's a smart strategy, as they seek to tap into emerging economies.They've released two new laptops that are designed for small businesses, government and educational institutions. I myself am quite tickled by the XPS M1330.It weighs less than 4 lbs and it's remarkably thin. In fact it's the world's thinnest 13.3" hi-def wide screen laptop. They've also reexamined their pricing. By cutting costs they're seeking to bolster users. It will hurt their bottom line for the immediate, but could pay off long term.Dell has also recently caused a stir with their cloud computing patent attempt. While the application failed, it nevertheless was a great exercise in SEO. For any clueless CIO that hears about cloud computing and searches for it, Dell will pop up as one of the first results. The CIO will then reasonably conclude that cloud computing is something that Dell offers exclusively, and reach out to them thinking they are the sole vendor to provide this solution.Regardless of whether or not you think their strategy is a good one, Dell has caused quite a stir in the market and spurned a lot of talk surrounding their efforts in the space. And who knows? They have 6 months to appeal the patent.