Dell Willing To License OSX

[Kent Pribbernow]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.fortune.com/fortune/fastforward/0,15704,1072719,00.html' target='_blank'>http://www.fortune.com/fortune/fastforward/0,15704,1072719,00.html</a><br /><br /></div><i>"If Apple decides to open the Mac OS to others, we would be happy to offer it to our customers," Dell wrote in an email. It's the first time any PC industry executive has openly shown enthusiasm for selling machines with Apple's software. Though that's all Dell would say for the record, I suspect his interest is not unknown to Jobs. So, as I said in this column last week (and in an article in the new issue of FORTUNE), the ball is in Jobs' court."</i><br /><br />I find it rather odd that Dell would be interested in OSX, considering Michael Dell's past comments about Apple and its products. Unfortunately this won't happen anytime soon, as Steve Jobs has made it clear that his company <b>will not</b> license OSX to other PC vendors.

[Chris Gohlke]

I find it rather odd that Dell would be interested in OSX

I think it makes a lot of sense from a business perspective for Dell. As computer prices fall, the OS is probably the biggest cost in a new computer. Adding OSX might give Dell some leverage with Microsoft.

[klinux]

Then again, Dell is perfectly willing to say anything i.e "We are open to trying Linux/OS X/AMD/ATI/Nvidia etc" in order to scare suppliers and lower the price it is currently paying!

[James Fee]

My company has both Dell and Apple so I'm sure our Dell rep would rather us buy all from them. Dell does what the corporate market wants and if they would buy Apple from them, Dell would sell it (of course if Steve would let them).