Dell admits consumers don't care about AI PCs

[dalton99a]

https://www.theverge.com/news/857723/dell-consumers-ai-pcs-comments

Dell admits consumers don’t care about AI PCs
Dell is now shifting it focus this year away from being ‘all about the AI PC.’
by Tom Warren
Jan 7, 2026, 11:57 AM CST

Dell has revealed that consumers aren’t buying PCs for AI features right now. In an interview with PC Gamer ahead of CES, Dell has made it clear its 2026 products aren’t all about being AI-first, and it’s moving beyond being “all about” AI PCs.

“We’re very focused on delivering upon the AI capabilities of a device—in fact everything that we’re announcing has an NPU in it — but what we’ve learned over the course of this year, especially from a consumer perspective, is they’re not buying based on AI,” admits Kevin Terwilliger, Dell’s head of product, in the PC Gamer interview. “In fact I think AI probably confuses them more than it helps them understand a specific outcome.”

It’s a surprisingly honest admission from one of Microsoft’s biggest PC partners, especially as the software giant continues to push AI features into Windows and try and convince consumers to buy Copilot Plus PCs. Dell was one of Microsoft’s partners for the initial Copilot Plus PC launch in 2024, adding Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite chips to its popular XPS 13 and Inspiron line of laptops. Dell even added Qualcomm’s Cloud AI chips to its high-end laptops last year, boosting AI performance for local models.

But most of the benefits in Copilot Plus PCs come from the improved battery life and performance of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite chips, instead of AI features alone.

Microsoft even struggled to launch its Recall flagship AI feature for Copilot Plus PCs. The controversial feature eventually launched nearly a year after it was originally scheduled, because the feature was delayed following concerns raised by security experts.

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[niyad]

1. dell has shitty computers anyway. Every person I know with a dell

has nothing but problems with them. My first problem with them is the enron-style "e" in their name. Turned me off even before I knew how shitty they were.

[mwmisses4289]

4. We have dells. Never had issues with them.

HPs, now...there is an incredibly crappy computer. As for Apple...besides being way too expensive, most of the folks I know who got Apple machines started "breaking" them almost as soon as they got them, because of Apples insistence on waiting six months or longer before new apps or programs could be downloaded. (Of course, this was some years ago, maybe apple has changed?)

[niyad]

11. Perhaps my friends were just unlucky enough to get some badly

flawed ones then, rather like lemon cars. On the other hand, nobody I know with an HP has a problem with theirs.

[ruet]

6. As Someone Who's Been In IT for Almost 30 Years;...

that's an ignorant post.

[niyad]

9. Tell that to my friends with problems with their dells. And I am free to object

to anything that reminds me of that corrupt organization, enron.

[ruet]

10. Let Me Guess. They Bought $399 Dell PCs from Best Buy.

Also, Dell pre-dates Enron. ...ever so slightly.

[niyad]

12. No, actually two bought them directly from dell, and paid wayyy too much

for them.

[mwmisses4289]

14. My statement about various machines may be "anecdotal"

(my and my family and friends lived experience with various machines) but it is true nonetheless. Every person and office in my experience that had hp machines couldn't get rid of them fast enough. Apple are decent machines, but are quirky and expensive. Dells seemed to be the sweet spot, decent machines for a decent price.
Again, my experience. Yours will be different, that's how the world rolls.

[ruet]

15. I Think You Might Have Replied to the Wrong Person.

I don't have a problem with Dell. I've been using them professionally for 25+ years. And yes, I wouldn't buy or recommend an HP to save my soul. They made some nice quality strides in the late 90's to the early 00's until Carly Fiorina wrecked the company.

[flor-de-jasmim]

7. Yes, but the HP 6P laser printer was a jewel!! (1990s)

[Renew Deal]

2. "AI PC" doesn't really mean anything

All PC’s are AI PC’s. It’s good that people haven’t fallen for it. AI service adoption numbers continue to increase.

[GreatGazoo]

3. WHAT ?! They don't want to burn down the Amazon rain forest to render "cats with machine guns" videos !?!?!

They don't want 500-word answers that are filled with 'hallucinations' and end with warnings to verify everything in them?!

Is Dell saying that their customers are not time-wasting masochists?!

[Raven123]

5. Duh. Thankfully the risks and liabilities of AI have been exposed.

Consumers just don’t see any obvious, significant advantage.

[kysrsoze]

8. Nor AI phones, AI search engines, etc. It's a gimmick and it gives garbage results.

MS Co-Pilot is quite enough AI capability for PC's. It's not a solution for world hunger.

[Sympthsical]

13. Just bought a new PC

I have zero idea what an "AI PC" actually does. Reading the article didn't provide any illumination on it either. Optimized for AI tasks? Hokay . . .

I just checked and, yes, apparently my PC does have an NPU. Huh. Had no idea. I bought this thing for gaming purposes. The NPU wasn't a selling point. Not sure the place I bought it from even mentioned it (nor would I care if they had). The only time I've used Copilot in the past year was to format some notes.

I'm straining to understand why the average PC user would go looking for an NPU and pay extra for it. Outside of a marketing gimmick.