Dell Technologies Inc. is rebranding its personal computers with a fresh approach that mirrors Apple’s simplified naming conventions in an effort to reignite demand in the stagnant PC market.
The company announced the shift on Monday ahead of the 2025 CES trade show where it unveiled the new naming strategy for its upcoming generation of devices.
In a bold move, Dell will phase out its decades-old product names like “XPS” and “Inspiron” in favor of a more streamlined system built around the single brand name “Dell.”
The company will categorize its devices into three tiers, Dell, Dell Pro, and Dell Pro Max to make its product lineup more straightforward and easier for customers to understand.
“Customers really prefer names that are easy to remember and easy to pronounce,” said Jeff Clarke, Dell’s Chief Operating Officer, during a briefing with reporters. “Buyers shouldn’t have to spend time ‘figuring out our nomenclature, which at times has been a bit confusing,’” he added.
The move comes as Dell and its competitors, HP Inc. and Lenovo Group Ltd., attempt to reinvigorate a PC market that has struggled since the pandemic-driven surge in sales.
To encourage upgrades, companies are now promoting AI-optimized systems and preparing for the end-of-support for Microsoft’s Windows 10 operating system, both seen as potential catalysts for new purchases.
Despite the positive response from Dell’s customer research, some attendees at the press briefing pointed out the striking similarities between Dell’s new naming structure and that of Apple.
“I am wondering why you guys didn’t choose something original, because you essentially have Apple’s branding here,” one audience member quipped. Another said, “Your branding sounds a lot like Apple — aren’t you just following them?”.
Dell executives defended the choice, explaining that words like “pro” and “max” are not exclusive to Apple. Clarke said the new naming convention was backed by extensive research with “tens of thousands of customers.” “We’re anchoring our products to one simple brand name,” said Kevin Terwilliger, a vice president of Dell’s PC business, acknowledging the similarities to Apple’s strategy while highlighting Dell’s own market research.
Interestingly, Dell’s gaming-focused Alienware brand, which the company acquired in 2006, will remain exempt from the rebranding. These high-performance devices will retain their distinctive identity as part of Dell’s broader portfolio.
The upcoming generation of Dell-branded PCs is expected to include neural processing units (NPUs) — chips optimized for artificial intelligence tasks.
These innovations aim to meet the growing demand for AI capabilities in personal computing, aligning with Dell’s broader strategy to address the aging global PC install base of 1.5 billion units.
“There’s an install base of 1.5 billion PCs — and it’s aging — and those PCs will need to be replaced with the AI innovation,” said Michael Dell, the company’s CEO. “The new naming will make it easier for our customers to do business with us,” he added.
