There are rumors everywhere that Dell is getting ready to release an iPhone competitor. Why just check this passage out:

If launched, the phones will be based on Google’s Android operating system and Microsoft’s Windows Mobile software, it said. One model will even feature a touchscreen, not unlike the iPhone’s, the Journal reported.

Wow, those are some quality rumors. Not only is Dell going to release a phone but it is going to release an (apparently) dual boot phone. The thing being that Android and Windows Mobile are both OSes so unless Dell has something interesting up the collective sleeve you have to wonder about the quality of the rumors.

Which brings us to the last time Dell tried to ape Apple. Remember the Dell DJ? If course you don’t. The only people that remember the Dell DJ are the suckers, umm unfortunate souls, that actually bought one. Why did the DJ fail so miserably? You can blame the hardware, the interface, the buttons, the marketing or the packaging and you’ll be able to make a good case for each reason. But the real reason the Dell DJ failed isn’t any of those things. For the root cause of the DJ’s failure you need to look at the Zune.

I know, I know. You’re thiking this is iPhone Matters and we’re talking about the Zune. Don’t worry the point will be clear momentarily. Why did the Zune fail? Blame the brown color, the lack of a scroll wheel etc. all you want but the reason the Zune is the same reason the Dell DJ failed. There wasn’t any reason to get one. People are happy with their iPods, you want to beat the iPod you have to give them something they aren’t getting with the iPod. The same thing goes for any phone Dell might introduce. It won’t be good enough to do all the stuff the iPhone does, it won’t be good enough to do a little more. It won’t even be good enough to do more AND cost less. Nope, if Dell wants a Dell smartphone to go over the company is going to have to come up with something new.

And it has to be pretty friggin great. It isn’t like it is the iPhone and everything else. RIM has been around awhile and they make some great phones. The Palm Pre might turn out to be interesting. So what revolutionary features can Dell add to the mix? Dell’s past experience has been innovating by commoditizing. That is where the company’s biggest success has come. Some will scoff at that, but when you’re buying your next machine one of the biggest reasons it is so cheap is because of Dell. So don’t sell the company short. On the other hand Dell hasn’t been able to pull of anything but that trick so far.

Sum it up like this.

Note to Dell:
That smartphones are a major threat is understood. That you need to be in that market is understood. Please give everyone a reason to want one.