WebProNews

With its market capitalization of over $160 billion, Google can probably do just about anything.  The search engine giant has chosen not to focus on manufacturing the Google Search Appliance, however - and instead handed over those duties to Dell.

“This partnership enables us to focus more on the software side,” writes David Bercovich, Google’s Product Marketing Manager, “which is our real value add.  Additionally, Dell’s international reach is helping us make the Google Search Appliance available faster in markets around the globe.”  Further details are available from InformationWeek’s Thomas Claburn.

Yet Google -it’s often fun to see how these guys think - wants would-be customers to know about more than business opportunities and hardware specs.  “So does this mean the popular (and playful) yellow appliance is going to be replaced by a more buttoned-down corporate server?” asks Bercovich in the Official Google Enterprise Blog.

He then answers himself: “As you can see in the ad below that Dell is running to showcase our partnership, the familiar yellow box was one of many customizations to the manufacturing process that insures that the Google Search Appliance will continue to be the brightest box in the data center!”

Well, until someone else uses day-glo pink paint, anyway.

Dell and Google have a long-running relationship, and in recent days, have worked together on everything from environmental initiatives to the software configuration of new PCs.  But with Dell now manufacturing Google-branded hardware, you really have to wonder what’s next.