The president of the group responsible for Dell’s first forays into smart phones and consumer tablet PCs is leaving the company.
Ronald Garriques decided to leave after a reorganization that folded marketing responsibilities for phones and tablets into its primary business groups — large enterprises, public, small and medium business, and consumer, Dell said Wednesday.
The reorganization eliminated Garriques’ communications solutions group.
Dell recruited Garriques in February 2007 after he oversaw tremendous growth in Motorola Inc.’s cell phone unit. His tenure coincided with a tough time for the global economy and for Dell, as the company began a long turnaround that included slashing costs and revamping its just-in-time manufacturing model.
On his watch, the PC maker revamped its consumer strategy to focus more on design. The group launched a high-end, ultra-thin laptop under the Adamo brand, but it’s unclear the $2,000 machine did much to develop what Dell at the time called “brand lust.” Currently, Dell has one Adamo laptop, which costs about $1,000.
The executive’s mobile group developed Dell’s first smart phone, which went on sale late last year in China and Brazil and came to the U.S. as the Aero in August. The Aero runs Google Inc.’s Android operating system and costs $99, the low end for Android phones.
Under Garriques, Dell also made its first move into the modern tablet space with the Streak, which went on sale in August. The Streak got a chilly reception, with critics saying the device was too awkward to use as a giant phone and too small to use as a computer.
Garriques will stay on through the fiscal year, which ends Jan. 31, 2011, and remain a consultant through 2011. According to Securities and Exchange Commission filings, Dell will pay Garriques $1.44 million in severance and $378,000 as an incentive bonus payout for the current fiscal year.
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