Computer manufactures

We all know which companies sell computers, e.g. Dell, HP, Acer, and Apple. But do you know which companies manufacture computers? They're the same right? If you buy a Dell laptop surely Dell designed and manufactured that laptop. Well the answer is in most cases no! Just about every company you associate with computer hardware did not actually produce that hardware. So who does make them? Here is a list of the largest computer manufactures:

• Quanta


• Clevo


• Compal


• ASUS


• ECS


• Foxconn


• Inventec


• Arima


• Winstron


• MSI


• Uniwill

I'm guessing the only ones on this list you've ever heard of are ASUS and possibly MSI. These companies all have one thing in common, they are Taiwanese manufacturing firms called an Original Design Manufacturer (ODM). Like an OEM they manufacture a product for another company, but what's different is they play a greater role in the "design" aspect. The amount of involvement the end company plays in the design of a product varies greatly. At most, companies like Dell give a list of specs to the ODM who designs the computer for them. And at the opposite end of the spectrum the ODM does all the design work and companies like Dell pick and choose products from the ODMs lineup to sell as their products.

Another surprising fact is these ODMs are not prevented from working with competitors. For example Quanta (the single largest laptop manufacture in the world) designs and builds laptops for Dell, HP, Compaq, Apple, Acer, and Gateway just to name a few.

It kind of makes you think, is that Dell laptop on your desk really so different from that Apple laptop on another desk? Is that $1,000 HP laptop really better than that $500 eMachine laptop? There's a good chance the same person/team designed them and they may have been built in the same factory.

This extends beyond the computer industry. Televisions, stereos, refrigerators, etc. are all designed and built by ODMs. Something to keep in mind the next time you're looking at spending more for a name-brand item versus less on a brand you've never heard of before.