Like Dell, Gateway was one of the original success stories when it came to selling PCs directly to consumers. It's the end of an era for them, however, with the company recently announcing that it will only sell computers through third-party stores and other online retailers in order to cut costs and align its business model with parent company Acer.
The transition away from direct sales happened over the weekend. Dell also ditched its direct-to-consumers-only sales approach last year, though most of its sales are still happening through online orders and its foray into brick and mortar stores is yet to take off. The indirect model has worked extremely well for Acer this far, so the company may be hoping that focusing on the same model can help boost Gateway sales. It remains to be seen, however, if the move will actually hand over more business to Dell rather than the opposite.