To: stock bull who wrote (56302 ) 8/5/1998 3:06:00 PM From: Zeem Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 176387
stock bull - Here's the article you requested! Had problems remembering where I read it. Rapid Growth Continues as Dell Home Systems Widens Appeal; Consumer Business Unit Targets Back-to-School July 30, 1998 11:46 AM EDT ROUND ROCK, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 30, 1998--To mark the first anniversary of its consumer business, Dell Computer Corporation (NASDAQ:DELL) is launching a marketing blitz aimed at students of all ages. Dell consumer sales have grown rapidly in the past year and now the company is stepping up its efforts to reach the growing parent and student market. Running in newspapers and magazines during August, Dell's back-to-school advertisements promote the award-winning Dimension(R) desktop and Inspiron(tm) notebook PCs. The ads are part of a comprehensive marketing program to help Dell harvest a growing share of sales to families who are equipping their school-aged children with computers. This summer, Dell is offering Intel(R) Pentium(R) II processor-based notebook PCs for under $2,000. Dell also is: -- Mailing school-themed product and accessory catalogs to a broad number of home customers nationwide. -- Hosting an essay game of skill, looking for students who creatively use their notebook PCs as part of their college experience. -- Offering a student lease option that enables students to upgrade to a new computer with zero upfront cash outlay. -- Selling Dell notebook backpacks bearing the logo of any of more than 50 leading universities. "Our first year in the home PC market reinforced that consumers value the benefits of buying directly from Dell to get great prices, leading-edge technology, award-winning products and top flight technical support and customer service. As a result, Dell is extending its marketing effort to a broader group of consumers," said David Hood, vice president and general manager of Dell Home Systems. Hood, formerly General Manager of AT&T's WorldNet Service, joined Dell last summer to lead the new Dell Home Systems unit. Dell's consumer business is not the only part of the company that is growing rapidly: -- Separate from Dell Home Systems, Dell's Education segment achieved year-on-year growth of 80 percent during the 1997-98 school year. The Education segment works directly with higher education institutions and school districts to tailor computer solutions, financing options and service and support offerings to meet student, faculty and institutional needs. More universities are requiring students to have computers, which represents a significant sales and relationship-building opportunity for computer makers. Dell's Education segment also markets Dell's Latitude(R) notebooks, OptiPlex(R) desktop PCs, Precision(tm) WorkStations and PowerEdge(R) servers. -- Dell's online business has also taken off dramatically. A year ago, the corporation was selling $2 million daily over the Internet. Today, the company's Internet sales have grown to approximately $6 million a day, with sales to consumers contributing a great deal to that success. Ranked No. 125 in the Fortune 500(R) companies, Dell Computer Corporation is the world's leading direct computer systems company, based on revenues of $13.6 billion for the past four quarters. Dell designs and customizes products and services to end-user requirements, and offers an extensive selection of peripherals and software through the DellWare program. Information on Dell and its products can be obtained through its toll-free number 800/388-8542 or by accessing the Dell World Wide Web server at www.dell.com. Dell, Dimension, Latitude, OptiPlex and PowerEdge are registered trademarks. Inspiron and Precision are trademarks and DellWare is a registered service mark of Dell Computer Corporation. Intel and Pentium are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation. Fortune 500 is a registered trademark of Time Inc. Dell disclaims any proprietary interest in the marks and names of others. c Business Wire. All rights reserved.