Less than a month after it first began accepting bitcoin, Dell has received 85 BTC (over $50,000) for a PowerEdge server order.
NewsBTC first reported the story after Dell CEO Michael Dell tweeted the following:
Recieved PowerEdge server order @ http://dell.com for more than 85 #bitcoin (~$50K USD) http://dell.com/bitcoin #Dellbitcoin
– Michael Dell (@michaeldell) 10 Aug 2014
It’s not known exactly who placed the order, but since Dell’s off-the-shelf Poweredge servers range from $299 into the thousands, someone likely now has a whole farm acquired with bitcoin.
One Twitter user pointed out how much Dell had saved by sealing the deal this way:
@MichaelDell congratulations! You just made an extra 1,000$ instead of giving it to visa! I’m so proud.
– Justin (@justinghendrix) 10 Aug 2014
Bitcoin and serious hardware
While Overstock’s bitcoin customers have bought mainly sheets, cell phone accessories and audio-visual equipment, the nature of Dell’s core business meant some serious hardware purchases were more likely.
Dell is by far the largest enterprise accepting bitcoin in the world at this point, with $57bn in annual revenue. The previous record holder was DISH Network, with roughly 25% of Dell’s income.
The Texas-based computer hardware giant also marked its digital currency debut with a 10% discount for anyone purchasing its gaming-oriented Alienware machines with bitcoin. The company accepts bitcoin payments for US customers on any item on its Dell.com store site.
Dell’s CIO Paul Walsh hinted last month that Dell may pursue more extensive involvement in the bitcoin space, adding that accepting bitcoin was part of the company’s overall plan to align itself with technological innovation.
He continued that he expected many other merchants to join in soon, indicating a growing legitimacy for bitcoin among companies in the mainstream economy.
Image via 360b / Shutterstock