CE-Oh no he didn't! Part LXVIII: Only Apple and dope smokers claim to know the future of tablets, says Dell VP
By Ross Miller 
posted February 18th 2010 7:27PM
posted February 18th 2010 7:27PM
What we'd normally brush off as pretty standard mainstream tech piece became comedy gold thanks to the acerbic wit of Dell's John Thode. The VP of mobile devices was discussing its companies entry into the tablet industry (all the while promoting the Mini 5, of course) and seemed to downplay Apple's iPad momentum.
"It's really hard to kind of do the same thing over again twice or three times... [Apple] is going to have more competition here." A rational statement, but here's where it gets interesting: "If anybody tells you they know exactly what's going to happen here, they're either Apple, or they're smoking dope." Don't tell John, but we hear Gartner just hired the entire cast and crew of Dazed and Confused for a special analytics department.
Oh boy, another top-level sales goon that'll be eating at least a little crow after the iPad release.
This joker is obviously clueless as to who's going to buying the iPad. Likewise, Apple must be pleased as punch at how horribly confused their competition are about their sales model, considering how often the competition articulates their misunderstanding of what exactly Apple is selling.
(Hint: It's got nothing to do with tablets, phones, or hardware)
Let's sit back and wait for the Crowfest....
Dell execs should probably take a page from Apple and produce something desirable for the marketplace instead of making snarky remarks. The only innovation Dell is known for is walmartization of PC manufacturing. Razor-thin margins, disposable beige boxes and myriad of product failures.
I guess it's hilarious that Acer is kicking Dell's ass all over the place just by adopting the same production techniques.
If Apple isn't going to set the tone in the market, who else is going to do it? Look at the crazy reaction the industry had when Apple introduced the App Store. Now everyone is following the same model. With the introduction of the iPad everyone is trying to jump back in and ride the tablet wave all over again.
This guy should be fired and replaced by someone who actually does something productive.