technology
reseller.co.uk
PC MARKET
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Continued...
more and more applications that can take
advantage of it. Because you can’t have
VR without the hardware to run it, there’s
a real push to have VR-ready machines in
the market.
VR in business and education will also
start to take hold in 2017. I am already
talking to some resellers and some software
companies who are working on applications
to bring VR into schools and universities.
That will drive demand for hardware with a
powerful, dedicated graphics card, strong
processing and a good amount of RAM. VR
drives that value-add and moves you up the
stack away from a £299 machine to one
with an RRP of £900 plus.
TR
: What are some of the applications of
VR in business and education?
SB:
The potential applications are endless,
and we are continually looking at how we
and our partners can use VR technology
in education, health, estate agencies,
architecture etc.. That said, it’s still early
days for VR in the B2B space and it will
take time for opportunities to emerge. For
now, gaming is the key focus and that’s
where we have put additional resource.
We recently appointed a head of PC
gaming, focused not just on the retail
space but also on system integrators. That
investment has brought together our overall
gaming proposition, from our strength in
the consoles side of the business to our
strength in the components side, including
graphics cards, where we have been market
leader.
TR
: Do you think vendors are doing
enough to generate excitement on the
desktop side of the business? Is there
enough innovation?
SB:
I think vendors do a very good job
with desktops. With the trend for mobility
and changing working practices, there is a
natural decline in desktops, but I’ve been
in this industry for 16 years and people
have always said the desktop market is on
the way out, yet it is still here. It’s a good
solid heart beat – a very strong market. You
only have to look at Microsoft’s Surface
Studio to see that innovation still exists.
That said, most innovation will be in
the all-in-one platform and, with Surface,
Microsoft is challenging the status quo
regarding what an all-in-one device does
and is capable of. Towers and traditional
small form factors are well established
in the market and they absolutely have
their place and serve their purpose, but
innovation will come from the all-in-
one platform and mobility in the laptop
computer space.
TR
: Will the end of free Windows 10
upgrades help drive sales?
SH:
I think it will absolutely drive adoption
in the home market – now everything
is pretty much Windows 10 out of the
box from a consumer perspective. In the
business market the bigger change will
be Microsoft restrictions on the ability of
manufacturers to pre-install Windows 7 at
factory. Because many business customers
exercise a downgrade right to specify the
Both professionals and consumers today want the
latest and greatest hardware, be it a lightweight
laptop, a beautiful display or the latest security
software.
At work, tech advancements have an effect on
recruiting and retaining talent. Dell has seen it in hard
numbers – 70% of millennials in the UK say workplace
technology is an influence when deciding whether or not
to take a new job, according to the recent
Dell and Intel
Future Workforce Study
. Dell is aware of this trend and
is committed to providing the latest and greatest across
our commercial and consumer offerings.
We’ve taken cues from our XPS design and shifted
premium materials, infinity edge screens and touch
into our Latitude business laptops and Precision
Workstations – investing in design and innovation more
than ever before. The inclusion of carbon fibre and
magnesium alloy materials into our Latitude, Precision
and XPS designs has created stronger, lighter, sleek and
beautiful form factors.
In addition, Dell Commercial PCs are the most
secure, with industry-leading endpoint security solutions
that include strong encryption, authentication and
advanced threat protection. In February 2016, we
released Dell Data Protection | Endpoint Security Suite
Enterprise, a comprehensive endpoint security suite
with Cylance technology that uses artificial intelligence
and machine learning to proactively prevent advanced
persistent threats and malware.
According to the
Dell and Intel Future Workforce
Study
, UK employees list advanced security protection
as the single most important technology to be
implemented in their workplaces.
Within the past 2.5 years, Dell has pushed limits
across all of its product lines in terms of offering
constant
innovation
and
advancements,
while other
players out there
have remained at a
standstill.
Design &
innovation
Neil Marshall,
Director,
Client Solutions
,
Dell EMEA, explains
what Dell is doing to
stimulate demand for its products amongst
consumers and businesses
