Dell embraces Google

It's a strike against Google rival Microsoft

[coopster]

Dell embraces Google

High Impact Click Here Deal between the search giant and the PC maker gets Google into new territory. It's a strike against Google rival Microsoft.

[...]

Under the deal, millions of Dell PCs will be loaded with the Google toolbar for Web and PC search, along with a co-branded home page, before they're shipped to consumers

[...]

[news.com.com...]

But what if I don't want Google on my machine? ;)

[dauction]

Sorry coopster I posted the wrong link

This is a great move by Google..as well as by Dell

[tinusg]

What was the default homepage before the deal?

I think that's the most important part of the deal because Google makes no money from the other applications if I recall correctly..

[Kufu]

Wow! Monster deal for Google. It's almost as good as having an OS on every computer. Is GOS far off by the way? ;)

Google makes no money from the other applications

Well the toolbar will shoot the users directly to the Google SERPs page...ka-ching!

[textex]

Google is scary powerful!

[walkman]

Monopoly! ;)

smart move by Google I'd say. Congrats to them.

[TypicalSurfer]

I wonder how much G$$GLE is paying for that position, dell isn't giving away desktop real estate.

[walkman]

about $1 billion I think. At least that was the figure thrown around a while back.

[oddsod]

But what if I don't want Google on my machine?

Then wait for Microsoft to start recouping the Google $One Billion via the OEM licence fees they charge Dell for Windows Vista. ;)

Or, better still, watch out for signs that Vista crashes when used with the Google toolbar! :)

[coopster]

Sounds like it is going to be an optional configuration:

A Dell representative said that the deal will not hamper consumer choice on the Dell desktop, however. "Our motivation is to deliver customers tools that enable them to search and organize information quickly and easily, right out of the box...Dell customers will have the option of choosing Microsoft as their default if they prefer."

[shri]

Ummm. I'm lost is this related to an earlier (perhaps mythical?) deal that involved google paying Dell a lot of money?

I'd hug anyone that gave me as much money as goog had given dell.

[rarethings55]

Guys.. Where was this post 3 months ago?

I picked up a new dell laptop (the inspiron) in addition to the dell pc I have, about 2 months ago, after the deal was annouced.

Forget about Verisign's 404 traffic steal!

Every typo, every DNS that does not resolve, every domain that doesn't load quickly enough redirects to google's sponsored links page, co-branded by Dell with dell's product line on the top, like a nifty DHTML menu...

Talk about big traffic...

[TypicalSurfer]

Ummm. I'm lost is this related to an earlier (perhaps mythical?) deal that involved google paying Dell a lot of money?

the deal was first reported back in January of 06 but I guess the PR machine at G$$GLE needed some news. It probably got some attention on Wall Street.

[herb]

Dell disappointed the Street last quarter. Then announced that they were ending their exclusive deal with Intel and will start shipping AMD in addition to Intel.

With the prices of systems today they are looking for any change that may be on the table. They seem to have squeezed most everything they can on production cost. I don't know about the G return but Dell made a good low/no cost deal.
 

[Kufu]

The deal most likely included free ads on the Google network, like the AOL/Google deal.

[BillyS]

This move demonstrates how powerful being the best can be. Many employers set the default search engine to Google on their employee's machines. With the current state of MSN search, that's the right thing to do.

[TypicalSurfer]

This move demonstrates how powerful being the best can be

hmmm, If you have to PAY A BILLION or so to get on the desktop just how good are you? With a billion bucks I could probably get my 3rd rate desktop search on dell boxes too.

[herb]

Many employers set the default search engine to Google on their employee's machines

Unless your job is searching the net, many employers will release you for cause. Left unchecked the net is becoming one of the bigger nonproductive cost items in the industry today.

[twinsrul]

This is nothing new. In fact the Dell Google start page has been leaked out for quite a while now: [google.com...]

Seems like Google's playing catch-up over the Yahoo/eBay deal announced yesterday. The stock market's not reacting to it as far as I can tell as Google is down and Yahoo and eBay are both up.

[texasville]

>>>The stock market's not reacting to it as far as I can tell as Google is down and Yahoo and eBay are both up. <<<
It's old news. There is nothing there to adjust the stock. Google already took the hit for the $1billion expenditure last quarter.
And most employers DO NOT set the search for google as evidenced by how many sites get much more traffic from MSN during work hours. As far as G being better than MSN search, that is opinion. As I have stated before, for brick and mortar commerce stores with websites MSN results are far cleaner than Googles. In my sectors, websites for small commercial businesses, there is no contest: MSN is far better. Now, for sites built to run adsense..maybe Google is better. Or, maybe they just promotye adsense.

[BillyS]

>>Unless your job is searching the net, many employers will release you for cause.

I'm employeed at will. They can fire me without cause.

And unless they only provide internet access to those whose job is "searching the net." It's doubtful they are going to fire anyone for searching Google. Unless they are going to monitor all my phone calls too. In that case, no one would want to work there.

Just so you realize how strong this can be, I work for not only sets Google as the default search engine, it's also a featured link on the IE toolbar.

[BillyS]

>>If you have to PAY A BILLION or so to get on the desktop just how good are you?

Read the story, its a revenue sharing deal via a dedicated website. Dell just became the largest advertising partner Google has and for one reason. Google is that good.

[twinsrul]

Can't it be argued that consumers who buy Dell computers will change their homepage and search settings, either knowingly or unknowingly automatically as a result of newly installed software such as toolbars, etc? The fact that consumers have the right to easily change their settings and personalize their individual Dell computers makes the logic of this deal questionable at best. As hard as it is to believe, not all computers sold by Dell with the Google software packages will have access to the internet. Even though it may be a statistically insignificant amount of computers, doesn't this hurt this deal as well?

[Key_Master]

I purchased a Gateway laptop a few days ago and the first order of business with any new computer is removing the crap they installed.

Gateway computers have the Google toolbar installed and (I really hated this one) a Google/Gateway branded 404 url redirector.

[google.com...]

[GameMasterM]

Key-Master, I just took a look at my referring links and traced back a search from from the Gateway/Google branded search site.

Google is sneaky smart grabbing these partnerships.

www.google DOT com/hws/search?client=gateway&adsafe=

[eskipii]

and the dell version:

[google.com...]

[ralent]

Just got a new Dell with the Google toolbar and Desktop Search. It took me a while to figure out that the constant pulsating hourglass (for over an hour) was desktop search indexing my hard drive.

I did an un-install from Add/Remove programs and a re-boot and desktop search was still indexing. I had to do a registry edit to stop it (gtb.exe and gtb2.exe).

There is no way the typical consumer will ever stop desktop search if they want to. By the way, isn't it still a beta?

[coopster]

Out of curiosity, were you able to choose during system configuration whether or not you wanted these features on your machine? Or did they come loaded as is, no optional configuration?

[ralent]

coopster ... mine came loaded as is. No option to install whatsoever. Desktop search started indexing the drive almost immediately without even displaying a prompt.

[coopster]

I just went through a Home pc configuration at DELL's site and didn't see an option either. Hmmm. That certainly seems a direct contradiction by DELL then, doesn't it? (see message number 10 of this thread)