[Am-info] An excerpt from an email sent by Dell to all of its customers:

[Erick Andrews]

On Tue, 13 Aug 2002 07:58:08 -0700, Mitch Stone wrote:

>Wal-Mart doesn't make these computers, they just sell them on their web 
>site. The OEM is Microtel.
>
[...]

Yep, I knew that.  Then again, I'd wager that some
big companies who sell PCs farm them out, or the
major assemblies, to someone else through a big
"purchase spec", although the Wal-Mart/Microtel
arrangement may be different as OEM/retailer
compared to, say, Dell.

For instance, if you were to go to Sears and buy 
a Maytag washer, it will be to Sears' specification
and not exactly the same Maytag you would buy from 
the usual appliance shop.  I know because I went 
through exactly this recently.  Maytag didn't even
have the model number I wrote down from a visit
to Sears and I was told via Maytag's toll-free number
that all support, repair, parts and warranty were 
exclusively through Sears.  (In practice, I don't know 
how much the content may differ -- at least the model 
number tag at the top of the machine does -- but the 
paperwork and contracts certainly do and that's the
"choke point").

So, what might be an interesting thought experiment,
if a similar situation exists between Wal-Mart and
Microtel (that Microtel sells an exclusive line of PCs
to Wal-Mart), Wal-Mart could be (legally?) immune
from Microsoft pressure.   Of course, I doubt that
Wal-Mart ships the volumes that Dell, Gateway, Compaq,
or IBM do, either, which would further distance them
from discount licensing pressure.

-- 
Erick Andrews