Dell to run Baidu OS on its Chinese smartphones

Major tech company partners with major search company on mobile challenge against Apple

Major consumer technology company Dell and Baidu, the largest search site in China, have partnered to deliver smartphones and tablets running Baidu software, in an effort to challenge Apple and Lenovo in the Chinese mobile market.

We’ve reached out to both companies ourselves but they’ve already confirmed with Bloomberg.

Though Baidu is best known for its search service, the company has been developing a mobile platform called Baidu Yi, which Dell plans to have installed on its smartphones and tablets. Baidu says it is also working with other manufacturers to spread its new mobile OS, though it has declined to say which those are.

Ever since Google’s fallout in China, Baidu has been having a ball expanding and proliferating its technology offerings. Listed on NASDAQ, the Chinese company’s stock is up $46.66 year-to-date, and it shows no signs of slowing.

Dell, on the other hand, may need to do more to stay afloat in the mobile world.

“I suspect this is just Dell, who has a lot of problems on the mobile and tablet front, grasping at straws to get any kind of publicity that it can to make its product more attractive,” said Michael Clendenin, managing director of technology consultancy RedTech Advisors, in a statement posted by Reuters.

“Ultimately in China, I still think it is Apple’s game, still for the iPad and iPhone.”

In its third quarter results published in July, Apple reports net sales in the Asia Pacific segment to have increased $4.5 billion or 247 percent versus the year before. Though it doesn’t cite specific numbers, the company says it “experienced particularly strong year-over-year net sales growth in China,” along with Hong Kong, Korea and Australia.

Abroad, as at home, what’s good for iOS is bad news for all of Apple’s competitors.

Dell obviously isn’t the only one struggling against the success of Apple and its archnemesis Google (with Android). RIM has seen its stock tanking this year, down $27.44 since the start of the year. Poor earnings and widespread company layoffs have been to blame, themselves the effect of rising contenders in the smartphone market.