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Michael Dell hints at smartphone plans in recent interview
Rumors of Dell playing a role in the smartphone industry have been around for what seems like ages, but each time the fire dies down, another can of lighter fluid emerges to get us all wondering again. In a recent interview with Om Malik, the bigwig had more than a few interesting things to say on the computing industry as a whole. Still, what intrigued us wasn't the talk about being a founder or changing up Dell's game in order to rebound -- no, it was Michael's remarks on the handset sector. When asked if there was a "desire" on its part to work with Android or Symbian, Mr. Dell stated that the company "is kind of working on that," although it wasn't ready to "publicly disclose" plans. Granted, he also asked us "not to expect anything anytime soon" when referring to a phone, but would you really expect any CEO with a trick up his / her sleeve to say anything different?
CE-Oh no he didn't! Part LVI: Dell states, for the record, he could take Jobs in a fight
Michael Dell's been up on stage here at D for a solid 45 minutes and has yet to say anything particularly interesting (unless you consider rattling off numbers about unit growth, margins, etc. fascinating), but the man got his chance during the audience Q&A. Someone asked if he could take Steve Jobs in a fight, and Dell flatly replied, "Yeah, I could take him." Now there's a fight we'd pay good money to see.[Thanks Seenew for Jobs' Mii]
Dell unveils tiny bamboo-cased eco-computer concept
Michael Dell spoke at Fortune's Brainstorm:Green conference today, and he took the wraps off this funky bamboo-encased eco-PC concept. Said to be Dell's smallest-ever computer, the machine is 81 percent smaller than a standard desktop and uses 70 percent less power. There's no word on what's inside yet, but Dell says the machine is due to be released later this year, and should cost between $500 and $700. Hit the read link for a couple more shots, and check out a render after the break.
Dell to cut even more jobs as it reduces costs
Looks like Dell's plan to trim $3B in costs from its budget is going to involve even more job cuts than the 8,800 already announced -- speaking to analysts today, Michael Dell said that his company's management had "identified a very significant opportunity" to cut costs, and that it was "aggressively going after it." That means even more jobs will be slashed, apparently -- a further 1,000 this quarter at least, but Dell wouldn't say what the total would be in the end, just that it would be more than 8,800. Dell went on to say that no part of the company would be considered sacred as cuts are considered, and that Dell's brass thinks that it's "begun the journey to transform the company." Cutting jobs is one way to do it, sure -- but might we suggest focusing on delivering great products would also help?
Dell acquires MessageOne from Michael's brother Adam Dell
In the oddball acquisition of the day, Dell just swept up email services provider MessageOne in a $155 million cash deal. How odd? Get this, MessageOne was co-founded by Michael Dell's brother Adam who now manages investment funds -- the very funds with partial ownership of MessageOne which Michael and his genetic crew are investors in. As such, Michael, his wife, and kids will receive $12M from the deal, Adam about $970k, and their parents about $450k. For Michael's part, Dell says that he will donate his family's proceeds direct to charity and was excluded from negotiating the acquisition. Still, we can't help but question the merits of such an acquisition when the only comparison that comes readily to mind is Apple's dot Mac service -- a service Apple is rumored to be shifting to Google in order to focus on core business. Don't get us wrong, we get Dell's whole Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) business strategy, but do they really expect to compete directly with Google and MicroHoo while staying true to their PC roots?[Via New York Times]
Dell's Latitude XT and XPS ONE make first public appearance
Dell fans, we've got some juicy meat for you to sink your teeth into. During Michael Dell's keynote address at Oracle OpenWorld today, the company unleashed (or at least demoed) its forthcoming all-in-one PC, creatively named the XPS One. Of course, we've been hearing rumblings about the One for some time now, but Dell also whipped out its sparkly new Latitude XT tablet, which should please all the Gatesian types out there who think TPCs are the future. But wait -- there's more! The new Latitude isn't just some plain-jane scratchpad. Besides being the thinnest in its 12.1-inch, convertible category, and having a screen which is 25-percent brighter than the competition... it's multi-touch. At the keynote, the Dell folks demonstrated a multiple-finger paint program, which lets you draw five simultaneous lines, and also showcased a Surface-like photo viewer which allows you to scramble, resize, and generally get physical with your fond memories. Check the pictures of the tablet in action after the break and feel its magical vibes.[Thanks, Tim]
Flashback: 10 years ago, Michael Dell's throwdown
Remember Michael Dell's legendary snub of Apple's prospects? Back in 1997, Dell was publicly asked what he'd do with the recently re-Steve'd Apple if given the opportunity. "I'd shut it down and give the money back to the shareholders," said Dell, earning the people's denigration and infamy forever. Of course, how could he possibly know?Fast forward 10 years, and Dell's $62B market capitalization is dwarfed by Apple's $144B valuation. AAPL is trading at all-time highs, possibly portending a split, and the July prediction of AAPL passing IBM's $160B cap (!) is starting to look more rational every day -- but first it'll likely pass Intel's $149B. That's a lot of value that, shamefully, Apple has created for shareholders instead of taking Michael Dell's sage advice and throwing in the towel back in '97. Don't feel bad for MD, though; as Apple 2.0 notes, he's personally worth about 15 billion dollars. Seems like there's money to be made at both ends of the computer quality spectrum.via Apple 2.0
Dell to move away from direct sales, partner with 3rd party distributors
Dell has traditionally always sold its products direct to consumer, to the extent that its sales figures often aren't factored into retail-based PC marketshare figures. That could all be about to change (for reals this time) as the company plans to move away from its strict direct-to-customer sales approach with a move towards selling PCs through third parties including retail stores, "solution providers," and "channel partners." The change was apparently first hinted at in a memo from Michael Dell, who says "the direct model was a revolution. It's not a religion." Not that we've ever imagined Dell's sales strategy as the consumer electronics equivalent of the Bible (nor the little red book for that matter), but it'll still be pretty hard to envisage going into a mall and seeing Dells next to other brand name PCs: aside from the occasional sighting of a Dell kiosk, it's just not what we're used to. Fortunately the company's tentative steps in the direction of more aesthetically pleasing designs means that there hasn't been a better time for Dell to dive headfirst into retail. So, do you think Dell has got what it takes to go retail? 'Cause dude, it's a warzone out there.
Michael Dell using Ubuntu on his personal machine
Who says the people aren't in power? Not long at all after customers voiced their demands to have Linux pre-loaded across a wider spectrum of Dell machines, the company caved, and as we sit and ponder just what flavor of Linux will soon be available, we can't help but guess Ubuntu. According to Michael Dell's lineup of personal rigs, his prized Precision M90 is currently humming along with a copy of Ubuntu 7.04 Feisty Fawn at the helm, garnering speculation that it's at least in the hunt for being a Linux variety available on its forthcoming machines. Moreover, it appears that Michael doesn't shy away from open-source software at all, as VMWare Workstation 6 Beta, OpenOffice.org 2.2, Automatix2, Firefox 2.0.0.3, and Evolution Groupware 2.10 are also seeing a good bit of personal use. Still, the whole thing could be a complete ploy to make loyal users believe that the CEO really is just one of us -- after all, this same company did just reinstate Windows XP as an OS option.[Via Laptoping]
Jobs Blasts Teachers Unions
Well having annoyed a lot of folks with his recent missive on DRM, Uncle Steve seemed likely to be making more enemies on Friday at a conference in Texas about K-12 education reform where he appeared along with Michael Dell. The AP reports that Jobs said, "I believe that what is wrong with our schools in this nation is that they have become unionized in the worst possible way. This unionization and lifetime employment of K-12 teachers is off-the-charts crazy." Being in higher education, I see the results of our K-12 education on a daily basis, and it's clear that there's a problem. One interesting thing about this, whether you ultimately agree with Jobs or not, is that he felt free to say it. Jobs even allowed, "Apple just lost some business in this state, I'm sure," though the AP noted that "the audience applauded enthusiastically" several times. It is perhaps not surprising that Dell "sat quietly with his hands folded in his lap" while Jobs was being his charismatic self.[Via NSLog();]
Dell facing investor lawsuit over shady Intel kickbacks
Ah, Michael, look what a fine mess you've got us into this time. Sure, Dell's not the first company to get smacked with a bit of sharp interrogation regarding shady accounting practices, and it's definitely not the first to have allegedly collaborated with another outfit to benefit the group, but the Texas powerhouse is facing a lawsuit that accuses it of illegally accepted quite a bit of coinage it didn't (legally) deserve. The class-action suit claims that the firm "artificially inflated profits by secretly receiving approximately $250 million a quarter in likely illegal rebate kickbacks payments from Intel in return for an exclusive deal to purchase Intel's microprocessors," which in a nutshell, doesn't bode well for either company if proven accurate. Of course, Dell's frolicking in the fields with AMD these days too, but the plaintiffs also contend that the corporation participated in a "widespread, long-running scheme to defraud shareholders and inflate Dell's stock price." As expected, nobody on the receiving end of this is taking any time to comment, and even though Rollins recently took the easy way out of his high falutin' position, himself -- along with Dell's accounting partner PricewaterhouseCoopers -- aren't out of this hot water just yet.[Via Slashdot]
Rollins resigns, Michael back as Dell CEO
With growth on the decline and competition heating up, it looks like Kevin Rollins has had enough of the cutthroat PC game, and has resigned his posts as Dell CEO and board member. Now Michael Dell has returned to the helm of his baby, after handing over the top spot to Rollins in 2004. Shares of Dell are up now that the founder is back in his place, but HP is all up in his grill right now, and the company warned on Tuesday that it would be missing analyst earning expectations for its fiscal fourth-quarter, so it's clear Mike is going to have an uphill battle in the attempt to return Dell to its former undisputed status atop the PC industry. Mr. Dell, who will retain his position as chairman of the board, said in a press release, "Dell has tremendous opportunities ahead of it, I am enthusiastic about Dell 2.0, which includes our plan to provide the best customer experience, build a strong global services business and ensure our products deliver the best long-term customer value." Dell 2.0, huh? We're down, let's see what you've got.
Last week's keynotes dissected, Steve Jobs wins over the preschooler set
Because analysts really don't have anything better to do now that all their random predictions for product launches have already been shattered by the announcements made on stage by Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Michael Dell last week, some Seattle P-I stat junkies threw together a completely nerdy assessment of the keynote speeches by those three industry icons, and shared it with an awaiting public that doesn't really have anything to do now but whine about the lack of 3G on the iPhone. It would appear Dell and Gates are the nerds of the bunch, using 6.4% and 5.11% "hard words," respectively -- compared to Jobs' 2.9% -- and stringing together fancy sentences 16.5 words and 21.6 words long, while Jobs did it up children's book style at 10.5 words per sentence. Jobs also kept his lexical density (ratio of content to words) low, at 16.5% compared to 21.0% for Gates and 26.3% for Dell. Finally, the Gunning Fog Index (don't give us that look, we warned you going into this) which measures the average years of education needed to understand a text, rated Jobs' transcript at 5.5, Dell at 9.1 and Gates at a whoppin' 10.7. The scores don't reflect any non-keynote-speaker time, such as the comic relief of Dr. Evil at Dell's keynote, or John Mayer's serenades at Jobs'. As for specific words, "gaming" won hands down at Dell, Microsoft seems to be about equally interested in "devices," "great" and "Windows," while Apple held no surprises, emphasizing "phone," "iPhone," and "iPod." There, now don't you feel edified?
Michael Dell at the Austin Game Conference
Elizabeth Harper is covering the MMO-heavy Austin Game Conference for Joystiq and our WoW-obsessed friends at WoW Insider.Michael Dell stopped by the Austin Game Conference briefly on Thursday afternoon for what the day's schedule described as a "fireside chat." And after sitting through the chat, I have one important question -- where was the fire? Well, while I sit here and grumble about false advertising, you can read on to find out some of the topics Dell touched on in this Q&A session -- which focused on the PC's place in the gaming industry, and why you should buy a PC instead of a console.
Engadget Podcast 059 - 01.06.2006
UPDATE: OUR RSS FEED IS EXPERIENCING SOME DIFFICULTIES, BUT RATHER THAN CONTINUE TO WITHOLD THE PODCAST, WE'RE POSTING IT. WE'RE WORKING ON IT, THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE! On our second day of CES coverage we didn't exactly get much more sleep, but we did manage to have the best keynote coverage of anyone anywhere. Marc Perton, our resident keynote ninja, sits down with Peter to talk about his day spent with Moto, Dell, Samsung and Sony. Besides the keynotes, we pontificate on Verizon finally adding V CAST Music, SanDisk rocking two new MP3 players, and TiVo yanking a keynote at what looks like the last minute. Plus, Peter interviews Dell CEO Michael Dell (yeah, that Michael Dell). The Engadget podcast from CES is a-go! Get the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3). [RSS] Add the Engadget Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically (MP3). [MP3] Download the show (MP3). [AAC] Download the show (enhanced AAC). [OGG] Download the show (OGG). [Vote] Vote for us on Podcast Alley! Hosts Peter Rojas and Ryan Block Producer Randall Bennett Music J J J - Jobs that Require Headphones Format 38:54, 17.8 MB, MP3 Program 03:33 TiVo announces the Series 3 DVR, but kills their press conference 05:20 Verizon VCAST Music 06:02 Sandisk intros new PMPs 07:09 Recap of Intel's keynote 16:17 Marc Perton on Sony's keynote 20:42 ... and on Michael Dell's Keynote 25:59 ... and on Samsung's press event 28:14 ... and also on Motorola's press event 33:09 Interview with Dell CEO Michael Dell LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) LISTEN (OGG) Call up the Podcast at: 1-888-ENGADGET
