Dell exec: We're not Wintel's lapdog

BOSTON--To some, Dell marches to the beat of Intel and Microsoft drums, dutifully following their research and development plans. But to hear Kevin Kettler tell it, the PC maker often takes its own lead.

Not only is the company active in establishing technologies, but often it's the kingmaker for emerging standards, Dell's chief technology officer said. In an interview at LinuxWorld Conference and Expo here, Kettler outlined several areas where Dell has gone its own way--over objections from Intel and Microsoft--and has cut behind-the-scenes deals that brought new developments to market.

Essentially, Kettler argued, Dell was responsible for selecting, if not necessarily developing, many of the technologies in today's desktop computers and servers. Among standards for which he said Dell deserves credit are 802.11 wireless networking, PCI Express communications technology and 64-bit extensions to Intel's x86 line of processors.

Dell's assertiveness has led to friction at times between the company and its major allies, however. Just last Monday, Kettler spent eight hours in a meeting with Intel. It was productive, but it "wasn't pretty," he said.

In the past, Microsoft and Intel had more power, said Roger Kay, an analyst at Endpoint Technology Associates. There were few alternatives when PC companies wanted to buy chips or operating systems, and not many computer makers were dominant enough to set terms. But now, with major consolidation in the number of PC sellers as well, there are more power struggles, he said.

"Some very large players--Cisco in networking, Microsoft in operating systems, Intel in chips, Dell in PCs, Best Buy in distribution--they're all jockeying for a dominant position, bluffing, feinting," Kay said. And overall, Dell does indeed hold more power than the past. "It's a little braggadocio, but I think essentially the story holds," he added.

But overall, Dell tends to follow Intel's lead and isn't setting the agenda, said Gartner analyst Steve Kleynhans. "They tend to get involved at the point where technology is getting standardized, and they popularize it. They get it out to a lot of people," he said. "But I don't see them as being the driver of a technology or the one that sets the direction."

Dell's duels
In the case of wireless networking, Dell pushed back against Intel's fondness for the now-defunct HomeRF standard, Kettler said. It did so strongly enough to convince the company to switch its support to the 802.11 standard that is widely used today.

Intel saw HomeRF as inexpensive and good for the home. Dell, however, wanted a single technology for work and home, so customers wouldn't have to switch network adapters when they carried their laptops back and forth, Kettler said. Dell convinced Intel to go with 802.11 everywhere, but to price it at the same level as the cheap HomeRF alternative. It argued that Intel would make more money from selling a large number of 802.11 adapters with a slimmer profit margin than from selling smaller amounts of a more expensive adapter geared to work environments.

Kevin Kettler

It was, therefore, Dell's actions that dramatically reduced the cost of 802.11 networking gear, he argued.

Intel declined to comment on specific situations described this story. In general, though, it acknowledged both cooperation and some tension with Dell.

"We love Dell. They indeed play a critical role with innovation and standards as the world's largest seller of PCs, and they certainly keep us on our toes every day," the company said in a statement.

More tension arrived in the area of processors, especially when Intel was faced with a move to advanced chips with 64-bit abilities. Instead of endowing its x86 chips, such as Pentium and Xeon, with 64-bit features, Intel aggressively pushed its Itanium line. Dell, though, urged Intel to boost x86--the direction rival chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices took.

"Next time to you talk to Pat (Gelsinger, head of Intel's server group and its former CTO), ask him where the demand for 64-bit memory extensions (to x86 chips) came from," Kettler said.

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