Alienware
| Company type | Subsidiary of Dell |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer hardware |
| Founded | 1996 |
| Headquarters | The Hammocks, Florida |
Key people | Nelson Gonzalez, Founder Alex Aguila, Founder Arthur Lewis, Frank Azor |
| Products | Desktops Notebooks Peripherals |
Number of employees | 490[1] |
| Parent | Dell, Inc. |
| Website | alienware.com |
Alienware is an American computer hardware company and a wholly owned subsidiary of Dell, Inc.[2] It mainly assembles third party components into desktops and laptops with custom enclosures for high-performance gaming. These products also support graphically intense applications such as video editing, simulation, and audio editing. Alienware also offers for sale rebadged computer peripherals, such as headsets, computer mouses, monitors and keyboards. Their hardware has distinctive "sci-fi" styling, typically including decorative lighting. Alienware was founded in 1996 by Nelson Gonzalez and Alex Aguila. Alienware's corporate headquarters is located in The Hammocks, unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, near Miami.[3][4]
History
Established in 1996 by Nelson Gonzalez and Alex Aguila, Alienware assembles high end performance desktops, notebooks, and workstations. According to employees, the Alienware name was chosen because of the founders' fondness for the hit television series The X-Files, hence the theme to their products, with names such as Area-51, Hangar18, m15x, and Aurora.[5]
Alienware was originally established to tap a niche in the high performance gaming market, which back then was not on the radar of the major PC manufacturers such as Dell. Since high-end hardware was not widely distributed, the company's founders formed an OEM which sold personal computers with the highest performing hardware and settings according to benchmarks [citation needed]. The company products are also differentiated by their science-fiction based designs.
Acquisition and current status
Dell considered buying Alienware since 2002, but did not take any action until March 22, 2006, when it agreed to purchase the company.[6] The new subsidiary maintained its autonomy in terms of design and marketing. However, Alienware's access to Dell's supply chain, purchasing power, and economies of scale would lower its operating costs.[7]
Initially, Dell maintained its competing XPS line of gaming PCs, often selling computers with the same specifications. The XPS line may have hurt Alienware's market share within its high-end market segment. Due to corporate restructuring in the spring of 2008, the XPS brand was scaled down.[citation needed] Product development of gaming PCs was consolidated with Dell's gaming division, with Alienware becoming Dell's premier gaming brand.[8] On June 2, 2009, The M17x was introduced as the First Alienware/Dell branded system. Alienware now represents the premium performance space in Dell’s consumer family of products.[9] This launch also expands Alienware’s global reach from six to 45 countries.
On March 25, 2009, Alienware stated that it was considering closing its manufacturing bases in Athlone, County Westmeath, Ireland, and in Miami, Florida.[10]
Current Lineup
- M18x R3 A 18 inch laptop with i7 Sandy Bridge, configurable with AMD HD 6970 or HD 6870, or nVidia GTX 460. Replaced the M17x R2 and R1. Noted as one of the first laptops with HDMI in.
- M15x R3 15 inch laptop configurable with 2nd Generation i5 or i7.
- M11x R3 11 inch laptop configurable with 2nd Generation i5 or i7.
- M14x 14 inch laptop configurable with i7 processor and 3GB GT 555m graphics
See also
References
- ^ Hoovers (retrieved on 3/24/11)
- ^ Has Alienware been acquired by Dell?
- ^ "Empire: Total War Online Contest." Alienware. Retrieved on January 9, 2010.
- ^ "The Hammocks CDP, Florida." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on January 9, 2010.
- ^ Pain, John (March 13, 2006). "Alienware racks up gamers, and millions". The Associated Press. USA Today. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
- ^ Dell Press Release
- ^ Kirkpatrick, David (March 24, 2006). "Michael Dell on Alienware, growth, and AMD". Fortune Magazine. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
- ^ Dell Tries to Revive Its Game PCs
- ^ Dell Desktop Computers and PCs, Dell.com
- ^ Fears for jobs at Dell subsidiary