How Dell Plans to Beat Apple

At a meeting a couple weeks ago, the new Dell marketing officer Mark Jarvis is quoted by the San Francisco Chronicle as saying that he wants Dell to become as sexy as Apple.

Then he went on to say, "Apple has become the conformist company. I want Dell to become the different company."

Say what? This, mind you, from the company that gave up on MP3 players last year after Apple totally blew it out of the market.

So the only way that's going to happen any time soon is if Steve Jobs happens to be reading the interview while eating his granola, or whatever he has for breakfast, and he starts laughing so hard that he chokes, falls out of his chair, hits his head, and .... breathes his last.

And who knows, there are probably a dozen more innovation stars at Apple who could carry the torch for many more years.

To paraphrase Lloyd Bentsen, "I knew Steve Jobs. Mr. Marketing Guy, you're no Steve Jobs!" At least not until he proves it. And it takes a lot more than spiffy colors to make real innovation.

So what would it take for Dell to be considered as innovative as Apple? Some real innovation wouldn't hurt. But as of now, Dell's R& budgets are among the lowest in the industry, and its competitors have ridiculed the tiny amount that company spends. Instead, it has historically outsourced innovation to its suppliers.

For Dell to pass Apple, that is one thing that will have to change.