On October 6, 1997, in response to the question of what he’d do if he was in charge of Apple Computer, Dell founder and then CEO Michael Dell stood before a crowd of several thousand IT executives and answered flippantly, “What would I do? I’d shut it down and give the money back to the shareholders.”
A little more than a month later, on November 10, 1997, new Apple iCEO Steve Jobs responded, speaking in front of an image of Michael Dell’s bulls-eye covered face, “We’re coming after you, you’re in our sights.”
Today, after a little more than eight years of hard work, Apple Computer, Inc. passed Dell, Inc. in market value. That’s right, at market close Apple Computer ($72,132,428,843) is now worth more than Dell ($71,970,702,760).
Got any snappy retorts for that one, Mr. Dell?
Luckily, Apple has had the right man in charge since July 1997; a man with the vision and the ability to do what lesser men think impossible.
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YE BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!
They did it!!! Congratulations Apple!!!
Boy am I glad that I “put my money where my mouth is”. True a bit late in the game but still with a NICE profit.
that goes to show that copying others’ work doesn’t always pay
Wow. Considering how everywhere I look there’s a Dell, this is pretty amazing. Now let’s see Apple’s revenues beat Dell’s.
WITHIN seven years Apple has made that change. Fast, but it wasn’t due to the Computers or software they created, it was because of the iPod and their distirbution of music via the iTMS (okay, that _is_ software).
let’s not loose our minds here. Without the iPod/iTunes success, AAPL would not be anywhere close to DELL’s market cap.
I love Apple, but I am also not on crack.
Dell plastic crap….it should come with a Hefty bag. I have one running in my office, and the loud fan noise is like water torture.
Who cares if it’s because of iPods or if it’s because of computers. Either way, Apple is worth more as a company than Dell is now. Period.
You may see Dells everywhere now, but UK corporates are getting fed up with the rubbish service and are moving back to HP. Every Dell server I see is years old. If this is being repeated elsewhere, Dell are on the way down big time.
The Stock Markets are for speculation. Traders aren’t interested in current earnings, only future potential.
My prediction : Sun to buy Dell in 2008.
So what does this actually mean? Sorry, I don’t know much about economics.
No doubt Dell will resort to the “iPod is just a one-shot fad” argument.
Yeah, like it was last year and the year before that. And the year before that….and in the meantime, iPod continues to grow at a rate of 300% a year.
So, how are those sales of the Dell DJ?
Hoo Rah
Wow, bull-eye! Steve’s perfect shot! Let’s all mark this historical day, and it’s only the begining of what Apple could become in the computing/multimedia powerhouse. M. Dell, feeling the burn? you sure wish you’d better kept your mouth shut then rite, look at you, nothing more than an idiot.
Way to go Applel!!!
After another year we’ll be reading the phrase….
Beleaguered Dell
oct 97 <-> jan 06 = 99 months
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Wow, that iPod’s got legs! And with only 4% of the computer market (and growing)– this is gonna’ grow to be one fat Apple!