Dell опять промахнулся: почему их мнение об ИИ-ПК расходится с реальностью

Dell, apparently, thinks they know what's up with PCs, AI, and us consumers. The only problem? They're way off the mark. 🤦‍♂️

A Dell exec actually said that people aren't buying PCs because of AI. Sounds kinda wild, right? Especially considering Dell doesn't exactly dominate the consumer PC market these days. Plus, their whole AI strategy for PCs? Pretty much non-existent. And let's not even get started on how they practically killed their XPS brand, only to bring it back to a market that might not even remember them fondly. Yeah, totally take their advice. 🙄

Let's look at the actual numbers, shall we? 📊

We're heading into a fresh batch of quarterly earnings reports, but the latest info we have on the big PC players tells a different story.

Lenovo's Intelligent Devices Group (IDG), which covers their PCs, tablets, and phones, brought in a whopping $15.1 billion last quarter (ending Sept. 30, 2025). That's a 12% jump year-over-year! Lenovo is crushing it, holding the top spot in the PC market with a record 25.6% share. They're also boasting "industry-leading profitability," and get this: over 33% of their unit sales are now AI PCs! They're not just selling AI PCs, they're leading the charge with 31.1% market share. Looks like that strategy is paying off big time. 🚀

HP's PC division raked in $10.4 billion for the quarter ending Oct. 31, 2025. Consumer PC sales saw a solid 10% revenue boost year-over-year, and HP is proud to say that 30% of their PCs are now AI PCs. They're even building their own AI chatbot, the HP AI Companion. They're really pushing the AI angle, and it seems to be working.

Apple snagged $8.7 billion in Mac revenue for the quarter ending Sept. 27, up 13% year-over-year. While it's peanuts compared to the iPhone, we all know how important Apple Intelligence is to their whole ecosystem. They've even admitted Siri could be better, but that's because AI is such a HUGE deal for Apple. They don't break down sales by consumer/commercial, but it's safe to assume most of it is for us regular folks, not businesses.

So, where does Dell fit into all this? The company that suddenly fancies itself an expert on consumer buying habits and AI? 🤔

Let's just say, at the bottom. 📉

Dell made a measly $1.9 billion selling PCs to consumers last quarter (ending Oct. 31, 2025), which is actually down 7%. Most of Dell's PC money comes from businesses, who just want dull, functional machines. And honestly, most of their overall revenue comes from servers and networking – stuff that's not exactly making anyone's heart skip a beat.

Dell's statements about AI PCs and consumer demand seem out of touch with the market realities. The financial data from their competitors shows a clear trend towards AI integration and consumer adoption, areas where Dell appears to be lagging significantly. Their focus on commercial sales and a perceived lack of a strong consumer-facing AI strategy might explain their dismal consumer PC performance.

Dell, a company that has, for a long time, struggled to connect with consumers, has been vocal about some of its beliefs about PCs and AI. The PC industry is somewhat unique in that it has a number of very large companies that produce hardware and, in some cases, software for the PC platform. While some of these companies are highly innovative and have a great understanding of the market, others... do not.

Dell is one of the companies that can be accused of "not getting it" when it comes to consumers. While the company has a strong position in the enterprise commercial space, its consumer business has been anemic for years. And its efforts to regain consumer attention have often fallen flat. It really killed off its consumer reputation long ago, and despite several attempts to revive it, it hasn't been truly successful.

It seems that Dell's management has the same problem when it comes to understanding the PC market, AI, and consumers. The company actually has a lot to say about all three, but it is wrong. It is undeniably wrong.

Dell is wrong about AI PCs

A Dell executive infamously stated that consumers are not buying PCs based on AI. This was widely amplified by the tech media landscape, where I and others have noted that the industry is, frankly, terrible at covering even the most basic elements of the PC market.

What was left unsaid is that Dell does not sell that many PCs to consumers. It does not have an AI strategy for PCs, neither for consumers nor for businesses. And it is such a savvy marketer that it killed off its only solid consumer brand, XPS, last year, only to bring it limping back to a market that had lost interest in Dell a decade ago or more anyway.

What the sales numbers tell us

We are on the cusp of a new round of quarterly earnings reports, but here's what the most recent information about the top PC makers shows us:

Lenovo's Intelligent Devices Group (IDG) is responsible for its PCs, tablets, and phones, and it earned $15.1 billion in the quarter ending September 30, 2025, up 12 percent year-over-year (YOY). Lenovo is decisively in first place in the PC market with a record 25.6 percent market share (unit sales), and it claimed "industry-leading profitability" with over 33 percent of its unit sales now AI PCs. Lenovo is also the world's biggest maker of AI PCs, with 31.1 percent market share. So that seems to be working out pretty well for the company.

Lenovo’s Q3 2025 earnings show strong growth in PCs and AI PCs.

HP's PC business earned $10.4 billion in the quarter ending October 31, 2025. Revenues from consumer PC sales were up 10 percent YOY, and HP touted that 30 percent of the PCs it sells now are AI PCs. Looking at its earnings report, I see that net revenues from consumer PC sales were $11 billion, and HP is marketing the hell out of AI. HP, like Lenovo, is building out its own AI chatbot, the HP AI Companion, which is free for customers to use.

Apple reported Mac revenues of $8.7 billion in the quarter ending September 27, a gain of 13 percent YOY. That's pocket change compared to what it earns from the iPhone, but everyone is familiar with how Apple Intelligence is key to Apple's core hardware products, and that it has struggled to get conversational Siri up to its standards. And the reason we know all that is because AI is so important to Apple and its future. Apple doesn't break down consumer and commercial sales, but it's fair to assume the vast majority is consumer-based, or what I could call sales to individuals, not businesses.

So what about Dell? Where does Dell, the sudden genius about consumer PC buying habits and AI, land in all this?

Rock bottom, that's where.

Dell made just $1.9 billion in revenues selling PCs to consumers in the quarter ending October 31, 2025, a decline of 7 percent. Most of Dell's PC revenues come from commercial customers, who want boring, easily locked-down PCs no human being could love. And most of Dell's revenues overall come from servers and networking, a business no human being c...

Dell's critique of AI PC adoption and consumer demand seems misaligned with current market trends. Competitors like Lenovo and HP are reporting strong growth and significant market share in AI PCs, indicating consumer interest and business opportunity. Dell's struggles in the consumer PC market and their assertion that AI isn't a purchasing driver are questionable given this contrasting performance data.

Dell's public stance on AI PCs and consumer behavior doesn't quite align with the sales figures from their rivals. Companies like Lenovo and HP seem to be benefiting from the AI PC trend, while Dell continues to lag in the consumer segment. It's a curious contradiction that leads me to believe Dell might be missing the larger picture regarding the future of personal computing.