Dell Faces Backlash for Imitating Apple’s Product Names at Its Own Press Launch

Dell faced ridicule at its own press event for adopting Apple’s iPhone naming scheme for its computers. The company has categorized its laptop and desktop PCs into three tiers, directly inspired by the iPhone lineup: Dell, Dell Pro, and Dell Pro Max.

Although Dell asserts this naming strategy was implemented for clarity rather than imitation, it has paradoxically made its PC lineup even more confusing than before.

Bloomberg has reported that Dell is phasing out its traditional sub-brands, such as XPS and Inspiron, in favor of this new naming convention.

Now, the majority of the company’s new PCs will fall into three categories: Dell, Dell Pro, and Dell Pro Max […]

“Customers prefer names that are simple to remember and pronounce,” stated Chief Operating Officer Jeff Clarke during a press briefing preceding the event. Buyers shouldn’t be required to “decipher our nomenclature, which has occasionally been somewhat perplexing,” he pointed out.

If Dell anticipated that the similarities of the names would go unnoticed, it was mistaken.

“I’m curious why you didn’t opt for something innovative, considering this is essentially Apple’s branding,” remarked one audience member. Another commented, “Your naming sounds strikingly similar to Apple — are you simply emulating them?”

The new naming tiers offer little simplification for consumers, as all three categories are further divided into Base, Plus, and Premium variants. Is a Pro Plus superior to a Pro Max Base? What about a Pro Premium compared to a Pro Max Plus?

Engadget observes that the situation becomes quite comical when Dell introduces size labels for its desktop PCs.

Good luck trying to make sense of names like Dell Pro Max Micro and Dell Pro Max Mini without feeling overwhelmed […] And indeed, you can expect those models to feature their own plus and premium sub-branding.

So, yes, there will actually be a Dell Pro Max Micro Plus.

This naming fiasco surpasses Apple’s Mac model names from the 1990s (Macintosh IIvx, Macintosh Centris/Quadra 610, PowerBook Duo 280c, etc.) prior to Steve Jobs’ return, when he revamped the confusing nomenclature.

Photo: Dell