On October 6, 1997, in response to the question of what he’d do if he was in charge of Apple, Dell founder and 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 Interim CEO (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.”
On January 13, 2006, after a little more than eight years of hard work, Apple Inc. passed Dell, Inc. in market value, $72.13 billion vs. $71.97 billion at market close, respectively.
• 2X: On July 27, 2007, Apple’s value doubled that of Dell’s, $127.81 billion vs. $63.65 billion, respectively.
• 3X: On December 6, 2007, Apple’s market value passed 3 times that of Dell’s, $165.66 billion vs. $54.42 billion, respectively.
• 4X: On May 01, 2008, Apple’s market value quadrupled that of Dell’s, $158.66 billion vs. $38.97 billion, respectively.
• 5X: On February 12, 2009, Apple rose $2.60 to hit a market value of $88.37 billion or 5 times that of Dell’s $17.52 billion.
• 6X: On October 20, 2009, Apple rose $11.21 to $201.07 to hit a market value of $180.12 billion or more than 6 times that of Dell’s $29.97 billion.
• 7X: On January 26, 2010, Apple gained $7.57 to $210.64 to hit a market value of $189.72 billion or more than 7 times that of Dell’s$27.03 billion.
• 8X: On May 21, 2010, Apple gained $1.95 to $239.74 to hit a market value of $218.12 billion or more than 8 times that of Dell’s $25.84 billion.
• 9X: On June 1, 2010, Apple gained $6.89 to $263.77 to hit a market value of $240.01 billion or more than 9 times that of Dell’s $26.29 billion.
• 10X: On September 9, 2010, Apple gained $1.60 to $265.37 to hit a market value of $242.43 billion or more than 10 times that of Dell’s $24.21 billion.
• 11X: On September 23, 2010, Apple rose $3.79, or 1.32%, to $291.54 to hit a market value of $266.34 billion or more than 11 times that of Dell’s $23.81 billion.
• 12X: On January 27, 2011, Apple rose $0.26, or 0.08%, to $344.11 to hit a market value of $317.02 billion or more than 12 times that of Dell’s $26.02 billion.
• 13X: On August 26, 2011, Apple rose $9.86, or 2.64%, to $383.58 to hit a market value of $355.61 billion or more than 13 times that of Dell’s $27.29 billion.
• 14X: On September 20, 2011, Apple rose $1.82, or 0.44%, to $413.45 to hit a market value of $383.31 billion or more than 14 times that of Dell’s $27.15 billion.
• 15X: On February 15, 2012, Apple rose $14.03, or 2.75%, to $523.49 to hit a market value of $486.78 billion or more than 15 times that of Dell’s $32.37 billion.
• 16X: On february 29, 2012, Apple rose $8.43, or 1.575%, to $543.84 to hit a market value of $505.75 billion or more than 16 times that of Dell’s $31.35 billion.
• 17X: On March 12, 2012, Apple rose $3.27, or 0.60%, to $548.44 to hit a market value of $512.33 billion or more than 17 times that of Dell’s $29.94 billion.
• 18X: On March 19, 2012, Apple rose $9.94, or 1.70%, to $595.51 to hit a market value of $553.29 billion or more than 18 times that of Dell’s $30.61 billion.
• 19X: On March 26, 2012, Apple rose $10.93, or 1.83%, to $606.98 to hit a market value of $565.93 billion or more than 19 times that of Dell’s $29.43 billion.
• 20X: On April 3, 2012, Apple rose $10.49, or 1.70%, to $629.12 to hit a market value of $585.93 billion or more than 20 times that of Dell’s $29.21 billion.
• 21X, 22X: On, May 23, 2012, Apple’s market value stood at $520.40 billion or more than 22 times that of Dell’s $22.90 billion.
• 23X: Also on May 23, 2012, Apple’s market value stood at $520.45 billion or more than 23 times that of Dell’s $22.15 billion after Dell shed over 16% following another poor earnings report coupled with weak guidance.
• 24X: And again on May 23, 2012, Apple’s market value was $524.00 billion or more than 24 times that of Dell’s $21.83 billion after Dell shed over 18% following another poor earnings report coupled with weak guidance.
• 25X: On June 4, 2012, Apple’s market value hit $527.65 billion or more than 25 times that of Dell’s $20.99 billion.
• 26X: On June 19, 2012, Apple’s market value hit $550.43 billion or more than 26 times that of Dell’s $21.15 billion.
• 27X: On July 23, 2012, Apple’s market value hit $564.62 billion or more than 27 times that of Dell’s $20.64 billion.
• 28X: On August 2, 2012, Apple’s market value hit $569.75 billion or more than 28 times that of Dell’s $20.06 billion.
• 29X and 30X: On August 22, 2012, Apple’s market value hit $610.02 billion or more than 30 times that of Dell’s $20.29 billion.
• 31X: On August 23, 2012, Apple’s market value hit $621.15 billion or more than 31 times that of Dell’s current $19.66 billion.
• 32X: On August 27, 2012, Apple’s market value hit $635.57 billion or more than 32 times that of Dell’s current $19.61 billion.
• 33X: On August 28, 2012, Apple’s market value stood at $632.71 billion or more than 33 times that of Dell’s current $19.07 billion.
• 34X: On September 4, 2012, Apple’s market value stood at $627.28 billion or more than 34 times that of Dell’s current $18.44 billion.
• 35X: On September 14, 2012, Apple shares rose to $694.81 for a market value of $651.01 billion or more than 35 times that of Dell’s current $18.60 billion.
• 36X: On September 19, 2012, Apple shares rose to $702.98 for a market value of $659.81 billion or more than 35 times that of Dell’s current $18.16 billion.
Apple is also a debt-free company and currently has more than six times Dell Inc.’s total worth in cash.
In 2012 alone, Apple has rocketed from 15 times Dell’s value to 36 times Mikey’s little floundering outfit. And counting.
Hello, Mikey? Miiikkkkeeeyyy? Got any snappy retorts today?
See AAPL and DELL quotes via NASDAQ here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers “Robert G.” for the heads up.]
Related articles:
Apple now worth 35 times Dell’s market value – September 14, 2012
Apple now worth 34 times Dell’s market value – September 4, 2012
Apple now worth 33 times Dell’s market value – August 28, 2012
Apple now worth 32 times Dell’s market value – August 27, 2012
Apple now worth 31 times Dell’s market value – August 23, 2012
Apple now worth 30 times Dell’s market value – August 22, 2012
Apple now worth 28 times Dell’s market value – August 2, 2012
Apple now worth 27 times Dell’s market value – July 23, 2012
Apple now worth 26 times Dell’s market value – June 19, 2012
Apple now worth 25 times Dell’s market value – June 4, 2012
Apple now worth 24 times Dell’s market value – May 23, 2012
Apple now worth 23 times Dell’s market value – May 23, 2012
Apple now worth 22 times Dell’s market value – May 23, 2012
Apple now worth twenty times Dell’s market value – April 3, 2012
Apple now worth nineteen times Dell’s market value – March 26, 2012
Apple now worth eighteen times Dell’s market value – March 19, 2012
Apple now worth seventeen times Dell’s market value – March 12, 2012
Apple now worth sixeen times Dell’s market value – February 29, 2012
Apple now worth fifteen times Dell’s market value – February 15, 2012
Apple now worth fourteen times Dell’s market value – September 20, 2011
Apple now worth thirteen times Dell’s market value – August 26, 2011
Apple now worth twelve times Dell’s market value – January 27, 2011
Apple now worth eleven times Dell’s market value – September 23, 2010
Apple now worth ten times Dell’s market value – September 09, 2010
Apple now worth nine times Dell’s market value – June 01, 2010
Apple now worth eight times Dell’s market value – May 21, 2010
Apple now worth seven times Dell’s market value – January 26, 2010
Apple now worth sextuple Dell’s market value – October 20, 2009
Apple now worth quintuple Dell’s market value – February 12, 2009
Apple could buy Dell outright; Mac-maker has more cash on hand than Dell is worth – October 21, 2008
Apple now worth quadruple Dell’s market value – May 01, 2008
Apple now worth triple Dell’s market value – December 06, 2007
Apple now worth double Dell’s market value – July 27, 2007
Beleaguered Dell: Shut it down and give the money back to the shareholders – March 02, 2007
Biting words on Apple come back to haunt Dell – February 10, 2007
Steve Jobs emails Apple team: Michael Dell not the best prognosticator, Apple worth more than Dell – January 16, 2006
Apple now worth more than Dell – January 13, 2006
Never gets old.
Man they are slowing down. This should have happened yesterday.
WHATS UP?
This is not really a Dell vs. Apple story as reported here, but a Michael Dell vs. Steve Jobs story.
Dell was pretty close to right about the value of Apple while Jobs was gone, but he made his boast when Jobs was coming back to Apple … essentially saying that Jobs added nothing to the company’s future prospects. When Jobs responded a month later, saying “We’re coming after you,” he didn’t show a picture of Dell Computer covered with a bulls eye, but Michael Dell’s face.
The two didn’t like each other and were out for each other’s scalp.
The articles (2x, 3x … 36x) are still meaningful because we are still tallying up the relative value of Steve Jobs as a leader compared to Michael Dell, producing very similar products competing in the same marketplace.
+1 NGO
+1
I was working at Apple when he said that.
You’re right… it NEVER gets old. 😀
Yeah, it does get old. It was cute the first few hundred times but it’s time to move on. I have to imagine that even fanboys are tiring of this. Apple is big. Dell is small. Really, who cares? I only care that they make good products and the stock price continues to go up. Childish bullshit is boring.
Old?
Deep in the cave of Cyclops, the captured Odysseus struggled impotently with his restraints, soon to be the next wayfarer destroyed by the race of giants who held all the islands in a pall of terror, demanding sacrifices and eating the brains of live infants with inhuman gusto.Yet clever Odysseus reasoned with Cyclops, and at the first chance defeated the monster through artifice and fled, alive and laughing, to enter adventures without end in a future rid of the flesh eaters.
THAT’S old. Yet this archetypal story still resonates millennia after Homer, and has echoes, for those who wait and listen, of 1997.
Beautifully done.
1
Agree that it never gets old… But I keep waiting for the day we can replace the it with “Apple now worth 36x Samdung’s market value!”
The 15th anniversary is just over two weeks away, we need to blow this up big so it gets lots of coverage.
My favorite,
‘What would I do?’ Mr. Dell said to an audience of several thousand information technology managers. ‘I’d shut it down and give the money back to the shareholders.’”
Markoff reports, “On Friday, apparently savoring the moment, Mr. Jobs sent a brief e-mail message to Apple employees, which read: ‘Team, it turned out that Michael Dell wasn’t perfect at predicting the future. Based on today’s stock market close, Apple is worth more than Dell. Stocks go up and down, and things may be different tomorrow, but I thought it was worth a moment of reflection today. Steve.’”
Thanks SJ and the Apple team. I’ve enjoyed reflecting on this 36 times now and still love it.
Can’t wait for the 40X, then 50X. and so on…
I love the smell of Napalm in the morning.
It smells like …
victory.
Another oblique Conrad reference
In 2012 alone, Apple has increased in value by a DELL measure, 19 times.
LV 2 C this article
20 Sep 11 it was 14 time since then gone from 14 to 36 times and Mr Dell managed to drop MV from 27.15B to 18.16B means he lost almost 9B means now we suggest him to wind up the company and distribute the cash to Dell’s shareholder before it becomes ZERO!!!
If Dell goes to zero then Apple is infinity times bigger and the universe explodes. You wouldn’t want that now, would you?
Always provides an extra reason to celebrate.
Never Forget!
Here’s to you tiny Mikey!
* Drink *
So, at what point does Dell collapse, like Gateway?
SIDAGTMBTTS!
Tracing out the specular fall of the worlds biggest chump. Someone should make this into a broadway show.
It should be called, “For Whom The Dell Tolls”. 🙂
Who cares about doofus Dell? Really? If it was Bomber T. Clown being lampooned, then it would be infinitely more enjoyable.
Even Balmer wasn’t dumb enough to utter such a moronic statement. A statement that will live on in infamy!!!!
Steve Ballmer: “Five hundred dollars? Fully subsidized? With a plan? I said that is the most expensive phone in the world. And it doesn’t appeal to business customers because it doesn’t have a keyboard. Which makes it not a very good email machine.”
That’s not a moronic statement? Especially now that Microsoft is essentially copying the iPhone and RIM is dead.
Didn’t he immediately follow that up with “I like our strategy. I like it a lot.” ? You can’t leave that out.
Ballmer’s was an ill-advised comment, but even Clown Boy was cautious enough to add,
“Now, it may sell very well, or not, I, you know ….”
In this interview, Ballmer did refrain from claiming Apple should turn out the lights, lock the doors, and give any remaining office coffee money back to the shareholders.
Those eyes…
Maybe that’s why Dull computers are so butt ugly, he can’t see them straight. Looks good to him.
It is very poetic. Seeing the consistent Apple rise and Dell fall. Had Dell held steady it would only be about 9 times, but their freefall, thank god, has magnified the result. And Amen to that!
Which only underscores the difference between long term and short term thinking.
Dude, you’ve been Delled!
Dell-ectable!
No one has a video or at least audio of Michael’s statement?
I’ll never tire of hearing about every multiple.
Oh man. Every time that number goes up a dollar or more, his sphincter muscles just contracts and you can hear a slight squeal as he fidgets around his chair. hahaha… this never gets old!!!
Well, he does still have a few billion dollars with which to console himself. I’ve said plenty of dumb things in my life. Where’s my pile o’ dough? (Apart from my AAPL shares, I mean).
Luv ya Mikey!
Michael Dell’s eyes are too close together.
He used to have a bigger head, and then they weren’t.
That’s pretty good.