TWICE recently caught up with Leslie Davis, Vice President, Consumer Field Sales for D&H Distributing at CEDIA 2024 to chat about the future of AI PCs and the upcoming PC cycle refresh.
TWICE: Thanks for meeting with us today, Leslie. D&H recently launched its Go Big AI Program, designed to help its partners navigate the transforming marketplace as AI-powered solutions such as Microsoft Copilot gain prominence. What does D&H see going on with AI and consumer PCs?
Leslie Davis (LD): It’s kind of a new world of PC, the momentum is just now beginning and we’re going to build on it. I think AI PCs will evolve for at least the next five, or seven years until it gets to a point where we’re going to end up getting an AI PC at price points that are more affordable for your average consumer, and it’s going to be a standard piece of equipment that everybody’s going to utilize. And I think we have a long way to go around that.
TWICE: What is D&H doing to be ready for this acceleration in demand for AI PCs?
LD: It’s a very exciting time! D&H is bullish about AI in the upcoming holiday season and we’re starting to see things come back in the consumer space, and we’re excited to see what retail and our vendor partners bring to the table for the holiday period. Our Go Big AI campaign at D&H really helps get the message to our consumers and our commercial teams, and we’re especially excited about what we’re seeing ahead in Q1, and Q2 of 2025 with a new PC cycle refresh happening. Also, D&H is going to have all the PC OEMs on board with more processors and the Intel and AMD systems coming.
TWICE: What AI PCs does D&H carry that are sure to be hot this holiday season?
LD: We’ve got the Copilot+ PCs with the Qualcomm chipset that launched specifically with D&H. We had a nice launch with the Microsoft Surface products with limited partners just recently this summer, and we’ve seen some strong sell-through. I believe our reseller partners that were launch partners are happy with the sell-through so far, so it’s looking really good.
We have wave number two with an expanded customer set list with Surface that will be coming in September and October. AMD just launched recently and Intel’s coming up in September. We’re excited about that, and we’re looking forward to putting the Copilot+ PCs on more shelves and with more retail partners for the holiday.
TWICE: We were gaming on our computer the other day and noticed it was kind of chugging. It’s only three years old, and still light years ahead of what we used to have, but refreshing PCs is a big deal for consumers, especially in this economy.
LD: It is, and the PC refresh is on everyone’s mind – it’s all about the lifecycle. We haven’t seen anything like this in over 20 years since Y2K, and we’re coming up on what’s called the COVID refresh, where the PCs bought during the pandemic need to be replaced. Additionally, we’ve got Windows 10 support going away in October 2025. That’s a huge opportunity to upgrade to a Windows 11 system.
TWICE: Consumers are warming up to the idea of AI in their PCs, albeit slowly. What do you see happening to make consumers want an AI PC?
LD: AI brings a lot, and consumers were very attracted to the Copilot+ launch that happened earlier in the summer. But there’s still, I wouldn’t say confusion, but questions that the consumer has about security, what exactly is AI, and what value it offers. But I think Microsoft’s done a really nice job laying out the experiences that Copilot+ brings, where AI is going to help save productivity and time.
I personally love the Recall feature. The Recall feature will take a snapshot or screenshot, if you will, back in time on your computer that you can Recall. For example, you were shopping for a black dress back in July, but now you’re in February. With Recall, you can ask your computer what website it was on, or how much did you pay for that black dress and it will go back. That’s a pretty mundane example, but it gives you an idea of what that Recall feature will do. It’s so nice.
TWICE: It may be mundane, but it’s practical.
LD: That’s true and your everyday consumer is really going to relate to that.
TWICE: AI isn’t all about the “robot uprising”, and we know the public is still a little bit hesitant when it comes to adopting AI. How is D&H making it more convenient for your MSP and VAR partners to serve their customers?
LD: It’s all about education and making sure that our reseller partners understand what’s available, and what’s coming. Whether it’s with Microsoft or with some of our OEM partners, D&H is making sure the right messaging is there. We’re also working with the vendor partners to make sure that we’re creating the right marketing campaigns, launch packages, and programs around the products, ensuring that the stores have proper placement and merchandising. D&H is giving them the tools that they need to succeed out the gate.
TWICE: You just don’t want to drop off a box and say, “Have fun!”, right?
LD: That’s right! There’s learning around AI, and there’s some education and training that needs to be had. Microsoft offers some tremendous training through their training portals for our reseller partners where they can learn all about Copilot+, and it’s not just a once-and-done kind of training session. D&H is making sure that the constant updates to the training content and materials are pushed out to our reseller partners as well so that the salespeople and the stores are able to answer the questions about AI PCs that the consumers have when they come in.
TWICE: There’s nothing worse than going to a store and asking an Associate a question, and they respond with something like, “Oh, this isn’t my department. Well, it’s…blue…and it looks cool. I don’t know.” Training your salesforce is key to mitigating those disasters, especially when it comes to AI and PCs.
LD: Yes, absolutely. Consumers are going to come in and ask questions. Some of them are doing their homework in advance and they’re going to come in expecting answers, and you’re going to want that sale when they’re right there. Fortunately, D&H works closely with partners to ensure that the right information is available for them with each launch.
TWICE: And even better, if you provide the correct information, those customers will come back.
LD: Absolutely. You’re a trusted advisor at that point.
TWICE: What’s next on the horizon for D&H and AI PCs?
LD: Consumers are talking about AI PCs now, but I think in a couple of years it becomes much more of a corporate endeavor, too. On the commercial side of the house, corporations and companies are vetting it out and getting the security that they need around the AI PC. It won’t be long until we’re going to be carrying those for our work laptops. I think we’re going to see the opportunities and the growth expected from the PC refresh really, really strong in 2025 and beyond.
TWICE: What’s the best way to get in contact with D&H to become a reseller or get involved with this AI PC wave?
LD: Our website is dandh.com and the best and easiest way to become a D&H partner or a D&H customer is to fill out your information on the website and we’re ready to assist you.
Visit www.dandh.com to learn more about how D&H can assist in bringing the top AI offerings to your business today.
About D&H Distributing
D&H Distributing supports resellers and MSP partners in the corporate, small-to-midsize business, consumer, education, and government markets with endpoints and advanced technologies, as well as differentiated services. D&H is ready to fill new market needs created by consolidation in the marketplace. The company works to expand the competencies of its partners in areas such as cloud services, ProAV, collaboration, UCC, mobility, Esports, digital displays, smart home automation, video surveillance, digital imaging, and server networks across a range of markets. Its value proposition includes highly lauded training opportunities and partner engagement events, dedicated Solutions Specialists, certifications, professional marketing resources, and an expanding digital Cloud Marketplace.
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