Dell is getting a marketing makeover, trying to shed its image as a cheaper alternative to rivals.

The PC maker said it will spend "hundreds and hundreds of millions" on an advertising campaign for its consumer business, to coincide with the launch of new products, including laptops with JBL speakers.

"We're going to stop mentioning price as the single important aspect," said Paul-Henri Ferrand, chief marketing officer for Dell's global consumer, and small and medium business division.

He said the company wanted to emphasise it had premium products, as well as cheaper options. He declined to elaborate on exactly how much the company was paying for the global advertising campaign.

Details of the new products, which will include a small laptop that converts into a 10in tablet, as well as smaller tablet devices, are due to be released next Monday.

Apple response

The launch comes after Apple CEO Steve Jobs recently dismissed rivals' smaller tablets, saying: "The current crop of 7in tablets are going to be DOA, dead on arrival."

Steve Felice, president of the global consumer and small and medium business division, fought back.

"Apple is known for dictating what's going to happen in the market place and what a consumer should buy. We're at the opposite end of the spectrum, emphasising customer choice," he said. "It's a bit premature to tell customers what they're going to like and what they don't like."

Read more: Dell to spend hundreds of millions on makeover | News | PC Pro http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/362125/dell ... z131E8gzmq

I'd sooner spend my money in Tesco, never mind the cracking deals available around the net from brands like Acer

I will never buy a dell for as long as they use those stupid, stupid customised Motherboards. Similar story with HP etc.

Oh, and I used to love Alienware, but now not so much.