For months we’ve been reporting that iPad sales are eroding demand for traditional PCs, such as netbooks. Little wonder then top executives have begun sniping at Apple as inflexible and only for consumers with oodles of cash. The most vocal sour grapes come from the sales and marketing heads at HP and Dell.
“I can say that it really feels like they’re [Apple] holding you hostage sometimes,” said Stephen DeWitt, senior vice president of HP’s Americas Solution Partners, talking in an interview about the difference between how the PC maker and the Cupertino, Calif. tech giant work.
DeWitt characterizes Apple as all about the sale and disconnected from retailers. “If you have an issue with HP you can pick up the phone and talk to someone. That’s something that’s impossible with Apple.” Perhaps HP is still smarting over an industry report released earlier this year showing Apple pushing HP out of the No. 1 slot for mobile PC sales? Then again, maybe HP’s anger is displaced. Recently, Google locked HP and others out of the new Honeycomb version of Android, forcing HP to rely on its questionable webOS platform.
DeWitt wouldn’t be alone in any Silicon Valley anger management class. Dell’s Andy Lark used the old class warfare argument against the iPad. The head of Dell global marketing for enterprises told an Australian interviewer it simply is “not feasible” to pay for a full-equipped iPad with keyboard, mouse and case.
“Apple has created a market and built up enthusiasm but longer term, open, capable and affordable will win, not closed, high price and proprietary,” Lark is quoted. But here’s the gem: “Apple is great if you’ve got a lot of money and live on an island.” Besides, “Android is already outpacing them [Apple],” Lark concludes.
Well, that certainly slams the book on the iPad, right? For Apple’s opinion, we’ll have to wait until April 20 when the company is set to release its second quarter numbers and presumably an indication of iPad demand.
[9to5Mac]
Ed Sutherland is a veteran technology journalist who first heard of Apple when they grew on trees, Yahoo was run out of a Stanford dorm and Google was an unknown upstart. Since then, Sutherland has covered the whole technology landscape, concentrating on tracking the trends and figuring out the finances of large (and small) technology companies.
96 responses to “HP, Dell Execs Lash Out at Apple as PC Makers Feel iPad Pressure”
Yeah, if you have a problem you can pick of the phone and talk to someone in say, India.
I have to disagree with these Dell and HP people. I have owned both a few Dells and a couple of HP’s. I have not had a good experience with the hardware or the software. The customer service sucks. Yeah, you can talk to somebody, but what can they do for you to solve your problem. Dell was okay AFTER the third return…..3 laptops in 3 months. HP products, pardon my French, are pieces of sh.t! I have vowed never to bring another windows product in my home. Since I bought my iPhone, I have purchased an iPad, an iPad2 and an iMac. I haven’t had to return anything. I don’t even have that back-lighting problem that some people have had on my iPad2. I am so excited and satisfied that I want to pinch myself. I am not moneyed, I just saved to get the best, because when you pay peanuts you get monkeys.
Dewitt said, “If you have an issue with HP you can pick up the phone and talk to someone. That’s something that’s impossible with Apple.” Really? Because I’m pretty sure you can call Apple’s support line 24/7 too.
Or you can go to an Apple retail store and talk to someone at the Genius Bar who is trained in supporting and repairing Apple computers.
Or can you e-mail the CEO of Apple and get a response from him directly (albeit usually less than a sentence on Steve Jobs part, but that’s more than most big CEO’s are willing to do)?
Can you do that, HP? Pretty sure you can’t.
Good points above. I too have owned HP and Dells and yes the support is very, very bad and often they can not fix your issue. The quality of PC makers has become less over the years as they try to make everything cheaper in terms of quality and supportability.
Apple has remained though. Yes they cost a bit more, but you get what you pay for. Also, I disagree with not being able to talk with anyone at Apple. Pick up your phone and call 1 800 MY APPLE. You’ll be on the phone with a live person in about a minute.
I didn’t know that HP had a psychological service attached to its computer sales. So, If someone buy an HP computer and his/her wife/husband left them or if they loses their job or else, they can call in HP service and have someone to talk? That is wonderful! I wish Apple have though of that too! They could call it iPsy sevice!
I had a Dell Inspiron that lasted……4 years. Bad customer service doesn’t need saying. January 2005 was the day my eyes were finally opened when I purchased a refurbed iBook. I never had a hardware problem and 6 years later it’s still a reliable piece of kit for what I use it for currently. Over the years I’ve added more Apple products to my tech gear and since that fateful Saturday afternoon in the Apple store in January ’05, I haven’t regretted it or looked back.
The PC market dropped the ball and Apple intercepted for the winning touchdown. Sure, Apple is certainly not without fault but the overall reliability of their equipment speaks volumes. Consumers are willing to cough up the extra cash for dependable tech gear that will last and accommodate their needs in today’s unstable economy. I for one got fed up with being double-dipped from the likes of Dell or CompUSA a long time ago.
“DeWitt characterizes Apple as all about the sale and disconnected from retailers”. Of course “Apple is all about the sale”. A great sales experience generates good will and repeat sales. Apple is very involved with retailers. Meanwhile, Dell, HP, & Micro$oft et al have disconnected from customers.
Get a clue Mr. DeWitt. Stop crying and get to work competing for market share – if you can. This type of behavior doesn’t become your corporate position. Whining and crying are the last bastions of the desperate.
I buy Apple products almost strictly BECAUSE of their customer service
Not to mention that when you call apple (or visit the genius bar…) that tech support hasn’t been outsourced to India and isn’t someone just reading a script
uvrs53 – I couldn’t have said it better myself! Bravo! LOL
Boo hoo. It’s simple Mr. DeWitt – provide the customer experience that people want and they will give you their money. That’s an end-to-end thing – image, quality, support, form and function. I’ve been in IT for twenty years. My last HP device was a sweet little Pocket PC. I applied a firmware update which caused problems and when I called HP support, I was told the device was a week out of warranty and they wouldn’t talk to me without a credit card. I rolled back the update and vowed to never buy HP again. I’ve had better experience with Dell, although the company seems to be getting bloated in recent years. Their current crop of consumer devices are mostly uninspiring, utilitarian and plastic, and leave me unimpressed. I often have to deal with Dell support as part of my job and it’s becoming a frustrating experience. I’ve had an iPhone and iPad for a year and just bought my first “real” Mac – a Macbook Air. I fix Windows issues all day long – when I get home, I just want a computer that does what it’s supposed to do. I haven’t yet had to call Apple support – that’s the best kind of support if you ask me.
Wow… Someone is doing what we cant do and that makes us mad…. Poo Poo.
Stop commenting, DeWitt is obviously trolling.
The nerve HP execs have to say things like Apple is all about the sale and has no good tech support… They take the very best parts of Apple and deny their existence. Apple is successful precisely because it cares about the products it makes and the people to whom it sells them. It just pisses me off.
Every PC spokesperson says the same lame bullshit to defend its half-ass products against Apple, like “Apple isn’t open enough.” I wonder if the idiots who make this argument even realize what “open” means to consumers. Most consumers who purchase a computer are not programmers. They are not interested in having the ability to change and manipulate their gadgets beyond what they were designed to do. Apple products do what most consumers need them to do, and do them well. Who cares if some piece of shit HP or Dell computer allows more software installation options and hardware upgrades? At the end of the day, they’re still piece of shit computers that constantly give users headaches.
I apologize for my language in this post but these Steve Ballmerian type quotes from PC execs always tick me off. I can never wrap my head around how these people can so blatantly lie in public interviews.
I think the other comments on this post show just how false and misleading Mr. DeWitt’s claims are. Not one person has said, “YES, HP customer service rocks! I wish Apple could be more like them.”
PLEASE! DEWITT OR DUMB ASS WITT.
1) MY LAST AND ONLY HP CRASHED ON VISTA 64 out of the box.
After numerous attempts at berating idiotic technical support team. They could not fix the issue.
I FIXED IT BY INSTALLING LINUX, AND GETTING RID OF THE CRAPPY OS.
They have to be smoking crack… Dell and HP support better than Apple?!?!? I’ve had Apple products completely replaced with no hassle, including cross shipment of the new unit. I’ve never been able to reach a human for support with Dell without shelling out a bunch of cash… Fucking horseshit.
“If you have an issue with HP you can pick up the phone and talk to someone in India who must read a script. That’s something that’s impossible with Apple since they have phone support techs who speak English and specialized retail stores..” –DeWitt
Corrected his statement from the article to make it closer to the truth and less of a lie.
Whining about your competitor not playing fair is like complaining that your quarterback got sacked by the opposing team. If you couldn’t provide a better defense, and even more importantly a good offense, you deserve to get your ass handed to you.
well, i guess i will not buy apple products anymore, because of those two. tomorrow i will go out and buy an alternative solution for the ipad from dell or hp, ooo wait, THERE IS NONE!
the pc market call service is like this: if u have a windows problem and call M$, they will tell u it’s a hardware problem, and if u have a hardware problem and call hp, for example, they will tell u it’s a software problem. not to mention that most people don’t even call, they just return the product to the retailer, which takes it into warranty, for 3 months, and just returns it with a reinstalled windows on it.
on apple’s side, i’ve heard of cases, where they replaced phones with broken screens, even if it was the user’s fault. wow, that’s customer service!
these guys should put their “ingenuity” where their mouth is, and show us the contrary for apple -in their opinion-, not just copy apple in EVERY POSSIBLE FU##ING WAY!
they should thank apple for leading the way, not rant for something inexistent, just because of jealousy.
<rant>
the only fault that ipad has is the flash situation. if steve will pull his head out of his ass and allow flash on the device, these guys will cry for years to come, if not, flash enabled devices will rip the ipad in pieces in two years. yes, just because of that.
steve, don’t forget the primary objective of the ipad: the internet in your hands. people today don’t want to read articles and fricking books, they want games, music and VIDEOS. u can’t just say “the full internet experience” while 80% of video content is missing from your device. the whole internet it’s not just youtube and other 3 video sites, that ipad supports. and u can’t justify it’s absence anymore, the performance is there and android already has it.
</rant>
If HP doesn’t like Apple, let them make an affordable tablet…if you have problem with your HP you can always head on down to the HO store…Oh, Waite…THEY DON’T HAVE ONE! I was a big HP fan until I started playing with Apple products…now I am in the middle of switching of to apple…any one want to by my 17″ HP notebook?
If HP doesn’t like Apple, let them make an affordable tablet…if you have problem with your HP you can always head on down to the HO store…Oh, Waite…THEY DON’T HAVE ONE! I was a big HP fan until I started playing with Apple products…now I am in the middle of switching of to apple…any one want to by my 17″ HP notebook?
Did they also forget about the number one customer service spot that Apple has held for the last decade in consumer reports?
When will these execs realize what some consumers have known for years, and what others finding out on their own on a daily basis; Apple’s much maligned “proprietary” business model provides an unmatched experience to consumers of all ages and backgrounds.
I am the owner of an EVO 4G since the day that it was released last year and I love my phone. Unfortunately, I only felt this way after I rooted the device to get rid of all the Sprint bloatware and HTC Sense crap that does nothing but slow down a great device.
In comparisson, I own both an iPod Touch and an iPad2 and the user experience, availability of Apps, and accessories makes these devices so far superior that there is no need to do anything other than power on and enjoy.
To Dell, HP, and others: Consentrate more on the end user experience more and stop worrying so much about your Megapixels and processor speed. Stop complaining about Apple’s business model because, obviously, it’s working better than anything you have.
nope, happy with my Macbook Pro. lol
This article makes me laugh. It only shows that these execs have no idea to what is important for consumers. It is the USER EXPERIENCE. Back in 2005 I bought a Dell and I had a horrible time with support. I then bought an HP and it was even worse. I was a PC user for years and somehow decided to switch to a Mac. I have never looked back since. I own several Macs, iPhones, and iPads. Excellent USER EXPERIENCE from the minute you walk in to the store to the minute you part off your beloved machine on eBay to replace with something newer. As for the price, yes Apple is more expensive but it also retain more value when you want to upgrade. Never had to call Apple once in the last 6 years.
The iPad has more than enough flash, 16, 32 or 64 GB, you choose.
It’s the only flash that counts, the other one will out soon enough.
J.
i wasn’t talking about flash storage, of course, don’t be ignorant.
let’s not foul ourselves, flash, as it is for now, is still a huge part of the internet. and of course it will reach it’s end, but until then, it’s still important.
html5 it’s a great alternative, but from my testings i find it to be not quite ready yet, and the resources hunger is very close to the flash 10.2. in safari, on my mac, it’s cpu demand it’s the same as the flash’es one.
my loyalty to apple is unquestionable, but it is one thing to recognize superior products, and it is another to follow a decision not quite so logical.
when apple dropped the floppy drive, it was great, because it was a dead technology. soon, and gradually, they will drop the dvd-rom and hdd technology, because it makes sense – for the portable devices -. but dropping flash so bluntly, it doesn’t make sense because it’s not a dead technology, and it will not die so fast.
looking forward to adopt html5, it’s logical, because it implements better than flash, but apple should do this gradually, over time, not just cutting, without mercy, a huge part of the internet.
at least they should give the consumer a choice. if the consumer will find flash inadequate for tablets, then he will not use it. but if the consumer finds it useful, apple should listen.
Customer service? What’s that?
Understandable jealousy from the top purveyors of cheap, plastic junk loaded with bloatware, gaudy metal advertising “stickers,” and offering a substandard user experience at best.
Instead of complaining how the competition is taking the spotlight away from your products….you might instead focus your attention to make a better product and take some of that spotlight back. That is the beauty of business in a competitive market…it makes you strive to be the better one. Apple knows this and their market approach has been successful thus far. If you can’t play ball at the major league level, you might want to consider going back to the minors.
“Besides, ‘Android is already outpacing them [Apple],’ Lark concludes.” Well, with Google making Honeycomb closed now, any argument about Apple being closed just doesn’t seem justified any longer!:)
HP and Dell: Don’t get mad, get even.
Quit whining, stop making silly soundbites (since when did an iPad need a mouse?) and bring out good, high-quality, well-supported products.
This is not going to help you beat Apple; in fact, you’re going to look like bigger idiots and cede more and more market share to Cupertino. Get over yourselves.
If all you do is networking, email and minimal word processing along with somewhere to store your movies and music there is nothing you need other than a iPad. Spending thousands on a laptop or desktop unit is ludicrous. That is why HP and Dell are crying, they know that their heavy, outdated laptops are history. Even Apple’s line of laptops are mostly history except when they bring out a MacBook Pro with the Macbook Air credentials. Then there is something to buy.
On the other side of reality at the corporate level, iPads will find a very important role in the office especially in the patient care environment. It will replace the notebook and the desktop in many hospitals.
HP attacking Apple is odd, considering their future probably rides on how well they execute Palm/WebOS. They already have the second oldest, albeit stagnated, single OS/computer ecosystem out there. HP is probably the only company left who can put any sort of hurt on Apple, but their time is running out. To attack Apple for having a system that they will also be using is hypocritical.
Besides, I never have any problem with getting support from Apple. I drive 4 miles to the Apple Store and get an actual person to help me with my actual computer. No virtualization or phone tag involved. And it’s (mostly) free, even after my warranty expires.
I use to use Apple computers but was forced to switch to PC’s/Windows because of law school exams taken on software that only worked with Windows. Now the software company has a program for Apple users. I love Apple but there is some merit in what HP is saying. The hardware configurations on Apple machines are limited and they’re pretty slow to update… for instance, Sandybridge. It’s taking Apple a bit too long to update their product line so the consumer basically has to wait for the new release if he wants the latest and greatest. I do kind of feel captive to Apple. For instance, look at the iPad 2. Why does a multi-billion dollar company have problems with insufficient supply? I have no idea but if I were CEO, I’d probably fire a shit ton of people. It’s never a good idea to make people wait because those that are uncertain or on the fence might decide to buy a PC. However, for what Apple does have, it is hands down the best company out there… far ahead of the others. It’s sad that only one company really gets it. The others are just lazy and sell you junk.
Also, the only PC worth buying is Lenovo.
Why either of them thought this would play well in the media makes me question their level of intelligence. Seriously, going after Apple is so cliche these days that it’s becoming commonplace for anyone that’s running Windows or Android.
This only generates more interest in Apple and less interest in Dell or HP products. The worst is Lark talking about spending $1,600 on an iPad because you have to buy a mouse, keyboard and case. Moron doesn’t quite paint the picture. Braindead is close but not descriptive enough.
well dell has no rom to talk about anything but i havehad nothing but success with hp (something that cant be said about any mac after os7) mac has gone down a slippery slope that it shall not climb back up soon. if only the woz were here to save them from jobs and his cult followers who live to lick the fecies out of his anus. but he has moved on to work on better things (like linux). but al mac is is a heavily banded version of linux that the consumer must pay for (btw most linux distros are free exept for some server distros (like redhat)). but ipads are just another way the man is tricking you into giving al your money to him (because who would want a giant iphone that cant make calls when the iphone that fits in your pocket and makes calls still sucks. taking away functionallity and adding a bigger screen/battery does not make something better. that being said, all tablets are pointless unless the have the potential to run a real os like windows or linux i would even apriciate osx. a device that takes up as much room as a small laptop or netbook should not run an os primarilly used on devices that fit in the average pocket.
small list of worthwhile tablets:
samsung 7 series
hp slate
thats all i can think of at this time
first statement is highly incorrect, hp slate $800
it is also not a useless paper weight like the ipad for many reasons, just to name few:
it has more ram (2 gb)
it has a faster processor (1.86 gHz)
more connectivity options out of box (wifi, bluetooth, usb2.0)
better battery (30 WHr)
more portable (9.21inX5.7inX.57in)
and best of all is that it runs a real os none of this phone os bull shit full windows 7 (and could easily be changed to osx for you mactards or better yet linux (like maybe ubuntu mid (thats some fancy lookin fnger friendly software right there))
My cousin is a pilot at a major airline and just heard the company is buying all the pilots ipad for work usage when they are flying people around the world. All these HP/Dell exec. wants to talk smack on Apple should just put out a better product in the same price range to compete. hp/dell both are household name companies, instead crying about Apple’s sucess and saying apple holding others hostage? what is that even mean? I’m an owner of Dell laptop and ipad recently I also just upgraded my laptop and i gave a chance on an Acer, they have the best price for the spec I want and i was happy with it. I will probably give the same chance to Motorola’s Xoom on their androids tablet if I have the extra cash. People dont just like Apple product because this is some type of cult or they hold “you” hostage, it’s about everything Apple can offer to consumers. Do you ever watch Steve Job’s Apple product introduction? the guy is the head officer and he is doing all he can to show his swagger to pitch their product in an amazing way, when was the last time you saw an hp or Dell exec. showing off their newest product on you tube or any other fourm? and does anybody even know their names? Get Michael Dell to do a new Dell tablet intro maybe a lot of people will start to pay some attention to it. C’mon go big or go home!
I think Hp & dell anger is right, their products lasts for only one year, and apple give you device to use for ages, if you pay couple of 100 bucks extra for apple, you can easily get couple of years more to use the machine, and with them its quiet not possible, fan gets noisy, poor plastic body sounds bad when you hold laptop while its open from your one hand, the typing place plastic and stickers gets abrasion loss resulting the poor physical appearance when you open it in front of anyone, 4 months old machine looks years old.
hahaha, that slate is the biggest piece of SHIT i’ve ever seen.
it’s hype was bigger than ipad’s, since that retard, ballmer, after that 2 hours of a coma conference, gave us that 2 seconds demo of it, and in the end, after 1 year, it was released “just for businesses”.
i’ve seen reviews of it, and it CAN’T DO SHIT! the slate can play 3 flash retarded games and it opens apps in 30 sec. it’s so slow that i still can’t believe that hp released it.
it has an atrocity of a power brick, and a case that can’t even stay straight, it wobbles all over. the onscreen keyboard it’s just retarded. it will require an antivirus suite on it. it comes with all the problems that windows includes OTB.
the only good thing about it is the stylus, because it will be good for drawing, but wait, of course that snail of a device can’t run something like photoshop properly, and if u want to draw in M$ paint be my guest.
and, as for the cherry on top of the cake, THEY PUT AN ALT+CTRL+DEL BUTTON on it! guess what that’s for. hahahahaha
Hi Crashnoww, I have been reading all the messages here and just wanted to comment on yours. I have an idea—imagine if people did read “fricking” books (as you called them) ….instead of having their heads into GAMES, MUSIC AND VIDEOS?? Hmmmmmm…..what a thought! Maybe Steve Jobs is up to something here.
Think about it….
ibooks is a great addition to the ipad, i didn’t say that it is unusable. but if u look at the real world, as it is today, books are really a small part of it.
i was talking from an internet perspective, where video is essential. imagine all those documentaries, or user generated educational content – because i believe we r talking from that point of view-, that u just can’t watch on the ipad, just because of flash abstinence.
apple is a huge media creation and consumption propeller, no one can deny this, but in this case, they just didn’t provide us the full experience.
is great that they are trying to push books, news papers etc. but that doesn’t mean that they should cut from the other side.
Really, how do you get his email address?
LOL! That’s hilarious.
They should help those trapped and held hostage by making a better product for less money!
You got to wonder, if companies like HP and Dell have these type of executives on their payroll, is it any surprise they are so behind the curve in the tech industry?
Wow, is this silly. If Apple is so bad on support, why complain about it, just take advantage of their weakness and exploit it for your benefit. Now you have unveiled to Apple the reason for their years-long failure and they will shore up their woeful tech support and outsell you in the tablet space.
And Dell. . . complaining about how expensive Apple iPads are. Keep quiet–when people see how much cheaper your stuff is, they will flock to your product. Why not run some ads about how much cheaper your stuff is. But by mouthing off, you’ll alert Apple and they might lower their prices and be competitive with you. If you’re lucky, they won’t lower prices and close their doors and give the money to the stockholders like your boss Michael Dell suggested back in the 90s. He really looks smart now with that suggestion.
How did these guys get to be computer execs?