Alienware

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Alienware

Type Subsidiary of Dell

Industry Computer hardware

Founded 1996

Headquarters The Hammocks, Florida

Nelson Gonzalez, Founder

Alex Aguila, Founder
Key people
Arthur Lewis,
Frank Azor

Desktops
Products Notebooks
Peripherals

Parent Dell, Inc.

Website alienware.com
Alienware is an American computer hardware company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dell,
Inc.[1] It mainly assembles third party components into desktops and laptops with custom
enclosures for high-performance gaming. These products also support graphically intense
applications such as video editing, simulation, and audio editing. Alienware also offers for sale
rebadged computer peripherals, such as headsets, computer mice, monitors and keyboards.
Alienware was founded in 1996 by Nelson Gonzalez and Alex Aguila. Alienware's corporate
headquarters is located in The Hammocks, unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, near
Miami.[2][3]

Contents
[hide]

 1 History
o 1.1 Acquisition and current status
 2 See also
 3 References
 4 External links

[edit] History

Alienware headquarters in The Hammocks, Florida

Established in 1996, Alienware assembles high end performance desktops, notebooks, and
workstations. According to employees, the Alienware name was chosen because of the founders'
fondness for the hit television series The X-Files, hence the theme to their products, with names
such as Area-51, Hangar18, m15x, and Aurora.[4]

Alienware was originally established to tap a niche in the high performance gaming market,
which back then was not on the radar of the major PC manufacturers such as Dell. Since high-
end hardware was not widely distributed, the company's founders formed an OEM which sold
personal computers with the highest performing hardware and settings according to
benchmarks[citation needed]. The company products are also differentiated by their science-fiction
based designs.
[edit] Acquisition and current status

Dell considered buying Alienware since 2002, but did not take any action until March 22, 2006,
when it agreed to purchase the company.[5] The new subsidiary maintained its autonomy in terms
of design and marketing. However, Alienware's access to Dell's supply chain, purchasing power,
and economies of scale would lower its operating costs.[6]

Initially, Dell maintained its competing XPS line of gaming PCs, often selling computers with
the same specifications. The XPS line may have hurt Alienware's market share within its high-
end market segment. Due to corporate restructuring in the spring of 2008, the XPS brand was
scaled down. Product development of gaming PCs was consolidated with Dell's gaming division,
with Alienware becoming Dell's premier gaming brand.[7] On June 2, 2009, The M17x was
introduced as the First Alienware/Dell branded system. Alienware now represents the premium
performance space in Dell’s consumer family of products.[8] This launch also expands
Alienware’s global reach from six to 45 countries.

On March 25, 2009, Alienware stated that it was considering closing its manufacturing bases in
Athlone, County Westmeath, Ireland, and in Miami, Florida.[9]