Google, Dell Join Forces in PC Deal

Google and Dell are expected to announce on Thursday that they have come to an agreement under which Dell will install Google software on millions of its PCs before they’re shipped to consumers, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The Journal cites the source of the information as “people in the industry familiar with the matter.”

The planned deal will be for approximately three years, and Google will pay Dell a fee to have its desktop and e-mail search software pre-installed on Dell PCs, along with a Google Web search bar, according to the Journal.

Financial details are not expected to be made publicly available immediately.

Dell will also make the PCs’ default homepage a co-branded webpage, and the machines’ default search engine will be set to Google, the Journal reports.

Earlier this month, Google expressed concern that Microsoft’s new Internet Explorer Web browser unfairly directs users to its MSN search site instead of allowing them to choose which search engine they want on their own. The deal with Google could help allay some of that concern, as customers who buy Dell PCs will now be directed to Google’s search site.  For more on the subject, read Google Searches for Fight With New MS Browser.

Today, two additional Internet heavies, Yahoo and eBay, announced a partnership to enhance both companies’ search and Web advertising capabilities. For more, read Yahoo, eBay Team Up to Boost Search, Ads.

For more related news coverage, read Dell to Open Two Mall Stores as Test.

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