Dell Mocked For Its iPhone-Like Naming Scheme For PCs, Says It Did This Purely For Simplicity, Though That Doesn’t Seem To Be The Case

Dell announced a slew of new laptops that offer major performance gains and a new design, but it appears that the company is looking to dissolve its sub-brands. The company was mocked at its press launch for the new laptops, as it copied the naming scheme from the iPhone lineup. For instance, the company announced the Dell, Dell Pro, and Dell Pro Max, which would remind you of the iPhone.

Dell blatantly rips off the iPhone’s naming scheme, calling its latest machines Dell, Dell Pro, and Dell Pro Max

The names are directly in line with Apple’s iPhone lineup, and while the company claims that the new naming scheme is purely for simplicity, users might not buy that approach. However, the company is making its entire PC lineup less comprehensible than before, which could go in its favor for being less confusing, or would it?

Bloomberg reported that Dell is letting go of its sub-brands, including the XPS line and the Inspiron, while adopting a naming scheme similar to Apple’s iPhone lineup.

Now, most of the company’s new PCs will be divided into three tiers: Dell, Dell Pro and Dell Pro Max.

“Customers really prefer names that are easy to remember and easy to pronounce,” Chief Operating Officer Jeff Clarke said during a briefing with reporters ahead of the show. Buyers shouldn’t have to spend time “figuring out our nomenclature, which at times has been a bit confusing,” he said.

While the company’s approach to switching sub-brand names might be simple, it should have considered how users would perceive it. From what we know and can see, Dell copied Apple’s Pro and Pro Max monikers.

“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?”

The company claims that it has made the naming scheme simpler, but in reality, it is not at all that straightforward for the end user. This is because all models are divided into three different tiers each, a sub-division that makes it difficult for the user to decide. These sub-divisions are Base, Plus, and Premium versions of the standard Dell, Dell Pro, or the Dell Pro Max. Engadget notes on this front that users can expect the machines to have their own “plus and premium sub-branding.”

It remains to be seen if Apple will respond to the change, but the new naming scheme from Dell is inspired by the iPhone. Possibly, the “Air” and “mini” monikers will also be a source of inspiration in the future.