Dell's Axim PDAs Trickle to Market

Quite a few customers are getting Dell's Axim handheld, but not all of them are waiting patiently.

Complaints have surfaced on a Dell message board about the length of time customers must wait for their new handhelds, and Dell acknowledges the product isn't shipping as quickly as it would like it to.

Initial Entry

The Axim is Dell's first product for the personal digital assistant market, and aims to undercut its rival Hewlett-Packard's IPaq product on price. The least expensive Axim sells for $199, compared with $299 for the cheapest IPaq. Dell also offers an Axim with a faster processor for $299.

However, the efficient order and delivery system that has made Dell one of the world's leading PC vendors doesn't seem to be working for the Axim. The average wait time for an Axim is currently about two weeks for the basic unit, compared with the average three- to five-day waiting period for a PC, said Cody Pinkston, a Dell spokesperson.

"The popularity of the product and some of the accessories we've added have resulted in longer lead times," Pinkston said. Dell offers a folding keyboard and a wireless LAN access card with the Axim, but Pinkston wouldn't say if one particular component or another is causing the delays.

Customers Want Warning

After customers order a product, Dell sends them an e-mail with an estimated ship date, which sometimes doesn't live up to the estimate, Pinkston said. If the ship date is extended beyond the estimated time, Dell informs the customer of that delay, he said.

One anonymous prospective Axim customer contacted through the Dell message board has been waiting three weeks to receive his base model Axim, which was ordered without any of the accessories.

"I understand delays in general, but I don't understand Dell's handling of the situation. There was no language on the site to indicate that there would be a delay," the user said.

Analysts and various reports have indicated that Dell's Axims are actually built by Wistron in Taipei. Pinkston could not confirm that information, but did say Dell is working with "a Taiwanese manufacturer" for production of the Axim, and the shipping delays have not been caused by that manufacturer.