I spent a little time a while back looking for a new computer with a family member and the things that struck me most that they should do were:

- Simplify their product lines. Vostro, XPS, Inspiron, Latitude, Precision, Alienware... that's enough choice already, let alone all the distinctions within those lines - I count at least 34 laptop options just off browsing the two front pages (see next point...) - there often seem to be extra sub-options later as well. This is confusing and it's far too hard to figure out how two apparently similar laptops really compare to one another.

- Get rid of the ridiculous "home" / "small business" distinction. In practice I can pick either if I want - maybe one is somehow "better" than the other, but it's not obvious which. The "for public sector" and "for large enterprise" aren't options for the majority of customers either.

- Cut down on all the "deals" and "e-value codes" as well. I feel like I'm missing out because I could get some deal if I had the right incantation, but I never actually do.

- Stop underspeccing machines to claim a low initial price. This is ultimately dishonest and results in unsatisfied customers who will blame either Windows or Dell for their machine being slow - and we all know what they'll buy next time to remedy that. Also, there always seems to be some additional thing later on to push the price up - "Dell(R) Recommends Microsoft(R) Windows(tm) XP(C) Professional SP1 Really Good Edition for Business!" - well, okay, but if you recommend it, why did the advertised price not include it?

- The common theme in all the above is that with Dell, I wouldn't feel like I'm getting the best deal. It always feels like there might be some customisation of another model that would be basically the same but cheaper, or the same price but slightly nicer, or maybe there's another way to get to the same page with a better deal. I don't want to idolise them too much, but my current laptop is an Apple and one of the best things about getting it was that I didn't have to worry about any of this crap; it may have cost more than the equivalent Dell (although it probably didn't: see next point) but it felt like I was paying a fair price for it, not haggling with someone else who held all the cards.

- Apple is killing them on things like product design and battery life. This is not really surprising from these two companies, but I'm not even convinced Dell are really cheaper any more, especially around the cheaper Macbook Pros. It is kind of a problem if your competitor can produce a better product for the same price as yours... I guess Dell either need to be significantly cheaper than Apple or their product needs to be more competitive. Maybe the market has moved here a bit; nobody understands the difference between the myriad processor models any more, and to most people it no longer matters anyway, but I'll pay actually quite a lot of money for Apple's aluminium case.

- Try to grow some taste. Nobody wants a hot pink laptop case. Or bright red, either. Stop
showing me pictures of them.

- More fundamentally, I think Dell have lost sight of the customer experience as a goal; it feels like it's been sacrificed to MBA, the god of Increased Profitability and Market Segmentation. That seemed to work ten years ago, but I don't think it works for customers any more. Step back and have a serious, honest think about how your customers would see you.

I try to avoid just saying "be more like Apple" because I worry that starts to sound a bit like fanboyism, but I guess a lot of it is coming through above. I don't think you have to clone them to win this game; for that matter, I don't think Dell can actually win any more, but they could still cannibalise a lot of HP's market if they sharpen up a bunch.