Dell has now begun accepting Bitcoin on its US online store. The computer manufacturer has partnered with Coinbase as a secure third party payment service. This experiment with crypto-currency puts Dell as one of the largest ecommerce merchants to accept Bitcoin.Bitcoin has had a troubled few months since Mt Gox, the largest Bitcoin exchange, filed for bankruptcy in Tokyo. Mt Gox was also at the centre what is possibly the largest theft of crypto-currency ever seen, and many customers who had stored their Bitcoin in the vaults have been left without recourse.
Dell’s move to accept Bitcoin could go a long way to repair the damage done to the reputation of all crypto-currency and perhaps set it back on track for acceptance as a legitimate form of exchange.
The company also pointed out that customers could technically use Bitcoin to purchase Dell products in the past by using the Coinbase service to buy Gyft cards; which could then be used in the Dell online store. The only difference now is that the middle man has been removed, allowing customers to directly pay with Bitcoin.
As noted earlier, option is only available in the US; although there is no reason it couldn’t be expanded to the rest of the world.
[Source: The Next Web]
