Reuters spoke to Dell’s CCO, Steve Felice, at CES about the company’s entry into the tablet business. He spoke on Dell’s attitude towards the tablet business and why they didn’t jump into it when all of their competitors did.

It’s strange that Dell would not want to jump right into the tablet business when everybody else did. It has proven to be a growing market even though Apple’s iPad has proven to be a superior device to Android tablets currently out on the market. Speaking to Reuters, Felice had this to say on their late entry:

“We have been taking our time. The general failure of everyone that’s tried to introduce a tablet outside of Apple” suggested Dell made a prudent choice, Felice said in an interview. “You will see us enter this market in a bigger way toward the end of the year. So we are not really deemphasizing it, we are really being very careful how we enter it.

Dell is looking at the overall environment of tablets and smartphones as they see them in a very different light from their PC business. Felice said that the focus is on hardware with PCs while the it’s the ecosystem that’s important to consumers when it comes to these mobile devices.

When Dell launches their tablet later this year, there will be two major operating systems to use: Windows 8 and Android. Both are viable options to Dell, but Felice did tell Reuters that he liked “the feel of Microsoft’s touch-enabled operating system.”

In the end though, it all comes down to the choice of the consumer. Knowing Dell, they will probably offer tablets with both operating systems.

When it comes to Apple, Dell thinks they have a decided advantage. Felice told Reuters that their tablets are going to be “very compatible with the business marketplace” which he thinks Apple has not really addressed.

“There’s lot of use in the commercial sector that requires security and more compatibility, and I think we will be able to address that in a better way,” Felice said.

The new phone sports an impressive set of tech specs, including a 4.3 inch AMOLED screen and a 1.5 Ghz dual-core Qualcomm processor. At the press conference Dell’s president of Greater China said that this would be the first of many Dell products coming to the Chinese smartphone market, and that China was becoming a sufficiently important market that many of Dell’s products would be launching there before other countries. This is already the case with the Dell Streak 10 Pro, a 10 inch Android tablet that launched in China earlier this year, but has yet to make it to American shores. In fact, Dell has pulled out of the US tablet market completely, at least for the time being, though the company maintains a presence in the tablet market in other countries, including China, where the Streak 10 Pro is fairly popular.

The Streak 7, which ran on T-Mobile’s data network, debuted in February to lackluster reviews. Electronista’s review of the tablet compared it somewhat favorably to the Galaxy Tab, but ultimately found it did not stand out from the oversaturated Android tablet market. Similarly, Engadget found the device to be no great improvement over the Streak 5, and recommended would-be buyers wait until the inevitable wave of Android 3.0 tablets, which came later in the year.

The removal of the 7” Streak 7 signals Dell’s exit from the Android tablet market in the US, at least for the time being. This limits Dell’s presence in the mobile market to its Venue line of mobile phones – one Android based, one Windows Phone based – and the Inspiron Duo, a sort of netbook/tablet hybrid device.

How long Dell will remain absent from the US tablet market is unclear, however. The company currently has a 10” Android tablet, the Streak 10 Pro, on the market in China, where it launched this year. Though there are rumors of a 2012 US release for the device, Dell has not made any statements on the subject as yet. However, the fact that each of the company’s previous two tablets were pulled from US markets after less than a year suggests that the company may not be in a hurry to dip its toe into these waters again in the near future.

What do you think? Should Dell stay out of the tablet market, or should they keep trying until they get it right? Let us know in the comments.

To recap, according to the initial post, Bill, who, among other duties, advises Fortune 500 companies on how to spend their tech budgets, experienced what can only be categorized as a slice of hell after buying a Dell laptop, one that was dead on arrival. Naturally, a level of satisfaction was expected after such a discovery, and, if Bill’s post is to be believed, once he started calling Dell, the misadventures began, all of which were documented in Bill’s post.

Aside from this publication, Bill’s story also hit other outlets, mainly, The Consumerist, and once that happened, Bill’s story went viral. This includes Bill’s disposition of advising his clients to never buy from Dell again.

Now that the post has hit the mainstream, Dell finds themselves in a position of having to respond to Bill’s complaints, and according to an update on the post in question, that’s exactly what they did. Twice, in fact. Bill has the details:

A representative from Dell just called (2:45 PM, Wed Jun 1st). She seemed genuinely concerned about the incident and assured me that they would be looking into it. They also offered 20% off of my next purchase. She also expressed that the call center is made up of Dell employees, it is not outsourced. We spent a couple of short minutes discussing the fact that it would be difficult for them to even track the event, but I did provide multiple phone numbers that they could use to attempt to track the inbound and outbound to and from their center, and explained that they had a serious problem in their ability to keep accurate records without immediately capturing service tag or account numbers. She did express that their was a management committee that would be briefed on the situation and they are always looking for was to improve.

As well as:

5:10PM EDT – Another update. Another U.S. Based Dell Rep (from their Social Media department) called me up and apologized again, ensuring me they are working to correct the issue to my satisfaction. They also offered an increased discount.

While Dell indeed capitulated, it wasn’t enough to change Bill’s stance, something he states quite clearly. Clearly, if Bill had been given such a level of concern when the initial complaints began, it’s doubtful he’d be so anti-Dell. Another point to consider is, why does it take such high-level complaining before satisfaction is provided? Why did Bill have to go through all of his hoops before Dell showed its apologetic side? One hopes issues like Bill’s forces Dell to rethink their customer service policy, at least in terms of satisfying a paying customer.

It’s safe to say that, after Bill’s atrocious experience with Dell’s Customer Care service, he won’t be recommending these products to the companies he advises ever again. At his blog (via the Consumerist), Bill recounts his Dell customer service with an incredibly detailed post that features phone calls, their duration and the discussions that occurred. To say Bill’s experience with Dell Customer Care was poor is something of an understatement.

Some history: Bill ordered a laptop from the company in question and when he received it, he discovered he had paid for a very expensive brick instead of a working computer. Naturally, Bill took his complaint to the proper Dell channels, and from there, his adventure began in earnest. In his post, Bill documents each and every phone call he had with Dell Customer Care, and truthfully, it reads like a manual on how not to provide good customer service. Some highlights, with [sic]s intact:

Wed May 18th – 1 Hour 15 Minutes (Computer troubleshooting)
Tried to troubleshoot battery, powercords, monitor, hard drive, etc to get the laptop to turn on.

Thursday, May 19th – 36 Minutes (Call #1)
Total hold time 32 minutes
Total time speaking with person 4 minutes
I call into Dell “Small and Medium Business” support. After a very long wait, I am greated by “Mr.Tom” (from India) I am told that theirsystems are down due to an upgrade and that they cannot help me. Please call back later today. ….. This is just sad, a COMPUTER COMPANY that is doing an upgrade in the middle of the day!

While this sounds all too typical, Bill’s experience continues with perhaps the funniest aspect, upon reflection:

Friday, May 20th – 18 Minutes (Call #2)
Total hold time 11 minutes
Total talking time 7 Minutes
I wait till the afternoon and call customer care small and medium business directly. I am greated by another Indian, don’t remember which American sounding name he game himself. I attempt to explain to him the situation, and he literally starts to raise his voice and tells me that I have to call tech support. I explain that I called them and they told me that I had to call customer care. I then ask to speak to a manager. He says “NO”. Then he says, he has to follow procedure, I have to talk to tech support. I say again, “I want to speak to a manager immediately”. He screams “NO” and hangs up the call.

Does that particular technique appear in the Dell customer service handbook under “how to deal with persistent customers who have legitimate beefs?” Unfortunately for Bill, his excursion continues for over 400 minutes, and it’s filled with FedEx disputes, “managers” who make him wait in silence, apparently hoping Bill would hang up, and finally, the satisfaction Bill initially sought out to begin with. Unfortunately, for Bill to get to this point, he had to endure what should go down has an example of how not to deal with paying customers who aren’t pleased — with legitimate reason, mind you — with their level of service up to this point.

However, Bill’s ire doesn’t just stop with a blistering blog post. It’s safe to say Dell’s (lack of) service left an impression:

So, here I am. I have a minimum of 404 Minutes – just shy of 7 hours trying to get my issue resolved adequately. Worse yet, I am still missing a laptop and was not ONCE offered a replacement or asked if I wanted to purchase a new laptop.

Dell, you really screwed up on this one. Not only is my company a decent spender, I make recommendations to Fortune 500 companies on a regular basis on the best way to allocate their I.T. expenditures. You cannot possibly expect me to recommend you to anyone in the future -this mistake may in fact cost you millions.

The thought’s closing statement was highlighted in red, just to emphasize the level of dissatisfaction Bill experienced. The question is, will Bill’s ire work like a strong viral marketing campaign, only in reverse? Will his word resonate throughout the business sector he advises or will Dell dodge yet another bullet from the bad customer service gun?

According to Dell’s global head of marketing for large enterprises and public organizations Andy Lark, that looks like the sign of imminent failure.

Talking to CIO Australia, Lark discussed the long term market for iOS products versus Android and Windows 7.

“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 proprietary,” Lark said. “[Apple has] done a really nice job, they’ve got a great product, but the challenge they’ve got is that already Android is outpacing them.”

Well, I guess that seems fair. Thank Apple for inventing the market but lament costs and point out that Android is really on the move. Go on.

“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.”

OOH! Them some fightin’ words. Lark says that since Apple is locked up in the consumer space, they do not have the long term sustainability of Dell, who Lark says took an enterprise approach to tablets. He says Dell has “a far more diversified footprint than some of these players.”

Although stating that the iPad’s cost was a deterrent for long term growth, Lark offered up some sketchy numbers. “An iPad with a keyboard, a mouse and a case [means] you’ll be at $1500 or $1600; that’s double of what you’re paying.”

Say what? The iPad 2 ranges in price from about $499 to $829 depending on whether you want more GB and 3G. All the rest of the stuff Lark mentioned can be obtained for around 200 bucks. What am I missing here? Oh yeah, I forgot – the $600 Apple sticker to put on your car window.

AppleInsider also pointed out today that Lark wasn’t the only one to bash Apple as of late. Stephen DeWitt, senior vice president of HP’s Americas Solution Partners, was quoted as saying, “Apple’s relationship with partners is transactional, completely. Apple doesn’t have an inclusive philosophy of partner capabilities, and that’s just absurd.”

Jealous, guys?

Are these recent complaints against Apple justified? Or do they simply stink of envy? Let us know what you think.

(Full Disclaimer: This writer once threw a Dell computer off a balcony. Take from that what you will.)

"The frequency and sophistication of attacks on technology infrastructure and malicious attempts to access data, requires reliable, capable and innovative information security," said Peter Altabef, President of Dell Services. "SecureWorks is a recognized industry leader in information security services and its offerings and expertise will immediately enhance our solutions portfolio. We look forward to welcoming SecureWorks team members – who bring their passion and dedication to serving clients with best-in-class security services – to Dell and our clients."

"Dell’s global scale and relationships with clients provides a tremendous opportunity to rapidly expand SecureWorks’ business," added Michael Cote, CEO and Chairman of SecureWorks. "With Dell’s commitment to our clients, our team and our market, I am confident that SecureWorks will flourish as part of the Dell Services organization and that our clients will continue to be well-served and well-protected by the services on which they rely."

Financial terms of the acquisitions were not disclosed, and the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, though it is expected to be close early this year. 

SecureWorks has been around since 1999. It’s based out of Atlanta and has about 700 employees. It’s revenue for Fiscal Year 2010 is projected to be over $120 million.

The company has not confirmed, and the sources of the info are unnamed, but evidently trusted by the New York Times, which reports: 

The Samsung device is described as "similar in size and shape to the Apple iPad, although it is not as thin. It also includes a unique and slick keyboard that slides out from below for easy typing."

The people familiar with this device said it would run the Windows 7 operating system when in landscape mode, but will also have a layered interface that will appear when the keyboard is hidden and the device is held in a portrait mode.

Apple’s iPad has been a huge seller. Can Microsoft’s platform attain similar success? A keyboard and familiar Windows interface would no doubt be appealing to a lot of users, particularly if it is just an option that is available alongside a more iPad-like touch interface. This could provide the best of both worlds if it’s done right. 

One of the biggest complaints about the iPad is that it’s not the easiest thing to type on, particularly if you have large hands. 

Microsoft is a little late to the market in this space, but apparently not as late as it was to the smartphone market (with the recent launch of Windows Phone 7). Granted, we don’t know when these knew slates would actually see the consumer market. 

Microsoft is of course not just competing with Apple, but all makers of tablets and mobile computer operating systems, and that includes Google, which is gearing up for the consumer launch of its Chrome operating system next year. It’s not on tablets, but it’s still going to be an option for consumers looking for a new mobile computer. Most people aren’t going to buy a tablet and a notebook. Google has the tablets covered with Android, however, like with the Samsung Galaxy Tab, and more to come. 

No matter how you slice it, iPad sales are bound to be affected, simply based on the fact that it won’t be the only option in its class anymore. It will be particularly interesting to see how big of a hand Microsoft has in the competition. 

Agam Shah spoke to a high-ranking Dell employee today, and wrote afterward, "The company is evaluating new devices from set-top box makers and original design manufacturers (ODMs) that could seamlessly bring Internet content to TVs, said Chris Camilletti, desktop product manager at Dell.  The company is also considering the Google TV platform, which merges broadcast TV and Internet into one interface."

It could be a good sign for Google that its brand was singled out in that fashion.  Also, Google’s history with Dell and reputation for building Android seem likely to work in its favor.

At the same time, no one has come close to claiming that a future pairing is certain.  Shah made clear, "The company has not yet officially announced any product, and is still investigating the market opportunity, Camilletti said."

So it may be that Dell will give Google TV the chance to sink or float on its own before stepping in.

As always, we’ll be sure to report any significant developments.  A quick note on the financial state of the two companies: Google’s stock fell 0.49 percent today, and Dell’s dropped 1.86 percent.