PC maker Dell looks to be trying to ratchet up competition for the hearts and minds of entertainment-centric computer users: the company has inked a deal with Paramount to offer its recent superhero flick Iron Man as a pre-loaded option on its Inspiron, Studio, and XPS notebook and desktop lines. Adding the movie to a new computer’s configuration costs $20, and comes with bonus content in addition to the film itself. The content is protected by Microsoft Windows Media digital rights management, although customers will be able to burn one copy to DVD and push the movie to a television using Windows Media Center extenders. (Oh, but high-def fans will be disappointed: Dell’s $20 Iron Man offering is in standard definition.) And, Dell, notes, all content sales are final: if you don’t like the movie, there are no refunds.
The move may mark what could be Dell’s first step in a wide digital content strategy, which industry watchers believe will eventually include an online content service to compete with Apple’s iTunes. Apple does not pre-load iTunes content onto Macs or iPods—in the case of music, that would amount to physical distribution and run it afoul of it’s long-contentious deal with the Beatles’ Apple Corps. However, Dell doesn’t have that restriction, and speculation has the company offering up other movies as pre-loaded options, and eventually letting customers purchase movies after they’ve bought computers. And while the Iron Man movie would just be a first step, the potential impact of a Dell digital media service could be substantial: the company accounts for roughly a quarter of all PCs shipped in the United States.
