Dell to sell notebooks at Sam's Club
Dell made waves in the PC industry last month when it announced it would sell two of its desktop computers in Wal-Mart stores. On Friday, the company said Sam's Club would carry two Dell models, a desktop and notebook.
Beginning in mid-June, 580 Sam's Club stores will stock Dell's Inspiron E1501 Notebook, which will sell for $899, and Dimension E521 Multimedia Desktop for $829. More than 3,000 Wal-Marts will have two versions of the Dell Dimension E521 Multimedia desktops--for $698 and $498--on its shelves starting this Sunday.
All models will ship with Windows Vista Home Premium edition and a 1-year warranty.
Dell has been trying to steady itself after being knocked off its perch as the global PC leader. As part of that strategy, founder and CEO Michael Dell said his company would, in addition to its traditional model of selling directly to consumers, give retail a try.
Industry observers criticized Dell's decision to sell just low-end desktops because it wasn't a demonstration of a long-term commitment to a new strategy. Dell insisted that the Wal-Mart announcement was just the beginning, as the decision to sell at least one notebook model retail would seem to indicate.
Erica Ogg is a CNET News reporter who covers Apple, HP, Dell, and other PC makers, as well as the consumer electronics industry. She's also one of the hosts of CNET News' Daily Podcast. In her non-work life, she's a history geek, a loyal Dodgers fan, and a mac-and-cheese connoisseur. E-mail Erica. 
