Dell changing their tune?

Dell has decided to start selling some of their personal computers at Wal-Mart.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18845098/

It's an interesting departure for a company that made a name by selling directly to consumers and removing the "middle man".

This is done in response to Dell losing ground to Hewlett-Packard in the PC market...but perhaps they should focus on the low ratings people give their tech support. Reseller Ratings users give them a 2.4 out of 10 - click on "Show Category Ratings", versus a (still not good) 4.0 out of 10 for HP. It could also be lagging consumer trust - for example, New York's Attorney General is suing them for things like "bait and switch" marketing. Whoops.

For the record, I have a Dell and have no real complaints thus far.