To: kemble s. matter who wrote (72440 ) 10/16/1998 8:44:00 AM From: Mohan Marette Read Replies (1) | Respond to
Some pundits predicts PC growth to slow in 98-Naaah don't think so says DELL.Dell chairman stays optimistic on PC sales Some technology pundits are predicting 1998 will be the year personal computer sales finally stop growing at the double-digit year-to-year rates posted so far in this decade. Dell Computer Corp. Chairman Michael Dell isn't one of them. ''We don't see this as the year the PC market will slow,'' Dell said. Growth ''will remain in the double digits for some time.'' But he did say he sees a huge replacement market looming for companies who are debugging their computer networks to make sure they don't stop when Jan. 1, 2000, arrives. Dell believes the so-called year 2000 problem, when older computers could be fooled into thinking it's 1900 because of the two-digit shorthand used for dates, will prompt many companies to buy newer PCs. About 85 percent of Dell's computers are used by businesses and public institutions, such as schools. Dell's predictions could easily be written off as self-serving in an industry where common stocks have been hammered this year by investors wary of a slowdown in sales . But Dell has an enviable record as an industry seer. He is the fourth-wealthiest man in corporate America; his company has posted revenue of $15.2 billion for the four quarters ended June 30 and its stock price tripled from $21 in January to $66 in September, before dropping back this month to about $55 a share.Part of Dell's optimism is based on global trends. What folks in the United States have learned about the power of the Internet, the rest of the world also is figuring out, Dell said. Businesses and consumers in Japan, China, Latin America and Europe are buying PCs to surf the Web, increase their productivity and and catch up technologically with the United States, Dell said. So Dell is expanding operations into those regions.......... mercurycenter.com
