I called Dell and told them of my dilemma, and their first response was, “We are Dell and our parts are proprietary. The only place you can get them is from us.” Just to be sure that I’d heard correctly, I asked, “You mean to tell me that there is no place in all of New York City where I can buy or borrow a power supply?” You know the answer: “No!” (Source: Tom Peters)

Does Dell’s size have anything to do with their proprietary technology? I don’t think so.

Is Dell Getting Too Big?