Dell Dubs iPad Too Expensive for Enterprise Using Fuzzy Math

Posted 03/30/2011 at 6:00am | by Paul Lilly

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It doesn't appear Apple is having any trouble moving iPad tablets. The recently released iPad 2 sold out almost as soon as it went on sale, and there's now a waiting period if you place an order with Apple. Be that as it may, a senior Dell executive says the iPad has no place in the enterprise because of its high price, at least when you toss in the necessary peripherals, and that Android will lead eventually lead the way.

"Apple is great if you've got a lot of money and live on an island. It's not so great if you have to exist in a diverse, open, connected enterprise, simple things become quite complex," Andy Lark, Dell's global head of marketing for large enterprises and public organizations, said to CIO Australia.

Of course, Dell has a vested interest in seeing alternative tablets succeed, as the OEM is currently building slates based on Android and Windows Phone 7. But does Lark have a point?

"An iPad with a keyboard, mouse, and a case [means] you'll be at $1,500 or $1,600; that's double of what you're paying. That's not feasible," Lark says.

And we would agree, $1,600 for a tablet isn't feasible, the problem is his numbers don't exactly add up. The most expensive iPad 2 device runs $829. Even after adding the cost of a keyboard and case, you're still under $1,000, and that's for the most expensive iPad out there. For the least expensive model, you can shave $330 off.