14 DAY TRIAL // Virtual currency was a logical step in the development of capitalism when Internet-based payments took off. Dell has decided to go ahead and add to the phenomenon.
Dell has begun to accept BitCoin payments for any product order, so long as the order was placed from within the USA's borders. No doubt this would not have been possible, or happened so quickly, if Michael Dell hadn't turned the company private last year.
Currently, one Bitcoin equals $627 / €463. This is a value that hasn't fluctuated much in recent months, owing to less interest on the part of the media (there always seems to be a correlation between the two).
Now, though, with Dell on board, the use of the currency should rise again, at least for a while, even bringing in new users. The company said its move was mostly owed to consumer interest instead of its own.
Overstock.com and TigerDirect (an online technology / PC / consumer electronics retailer/marketplace) are two others that accept Bitcoin, so Dell isn't risking much here.
For a time, Alienware-branded systems, mobile or otherwise, will sell for a 10% discount if you make the purchase via Bitcoins. No word if Dell will extend this payment system to other countries, but I imagine that Argentina, at least, might be fairly receptive to the idea, seeing as how its citizens already use Bitcoin as an alternative to the official currency (which is stymied by inflation and strict capital controls, not good for savings).