Try before you buy

Dell is closing all 140 of its kiosks in the US.

The kiosks — most of which are in shopping malls — launched in 2002, reports Reuters. Consumers could try, then order PCs, but they could not buy directly from the kiosk.

"We recognized early on that customers really wanted to touch and see the products before they purchased them," Dell spokesman Bill Kaufman told Reuters. "That led us to the kiosk model. Now, customers can touch and feel our products before buying them at one of our retail partners."Since Dell dropped its 23-year-old strategy of direct-only sales and began selling computers via 10,000 resellers and online, the kiosks are obsolete.

Nonetheless, the company will maintain 40 kiosks outside the US.