Dell denies Alienware acquisition

A local Dell spokesman has effectively denied rumours that it's acquired rival PC vendor Alienware, suggesting that all speculation should be taken "with a grain of salt".

The speculation, which has since spread like wildfire across the Web, began when Rahul Sood -- CEO of Canada-based OEM PC vendor Voodoo PC -- posted his thoughts on why a Dell takeover was likely to his personal blog.

"The PC gaming market is threatening Dell's 'perceived technology leadership' - and ultimately the consumer space. The Alienware brand is cooler than Dell, and perhaps a likely candidate for Dell to take over based on size alone," said Sood.

Sood's speculation was corroborated by an anonymous source "at a high-end vendor", who told CNET.com's Rich Brown that "the deal has been done...[and] his company has received an influx of resumes from Alienware employees."

Alienware is yet to deny the claim, but the potential acquisition has been seen as a positive sign by many commentators since it would allow Dell to completely penetrate the gaming market, a feat that's proved difficult for the vendor that's struggled to shake its corporate image.

Yet today, Paul McKeon, Corporate Communications Manager for Dell Australia and New Zealand told CNET.com.au that the original source -- Voodoo PC -- is unreliable since it's an Alienware competitor.

"I'd suggest you take that speculation with a grain of salt given the origin stated in the blog (Alienware's competitor) -- you can never be sure what the motivation is," said McKeon.

He also questioned the reasons behind such an acquisition, stating that Dell is more than capable of building viable gaming machines without Alienware's help, and that Dell has the potential to be seen as a "cool" company.

"Dell's XPS range already offers better performance and better value than Alienware's machines and in the XPS mobile concept you've seen the potential of one of the cool new things Dell could do this year," McKeon added.

Despite McKeon's comments, Dell doesn't currently offer its XPS range to the Australian market.