Taiwan-based Acer Inc has become the second-largest PC maker in the world, replacing Dell Inc in the third quarter and sending the former runner-up to third place. The development comes after a surprisingly strong quarter for Acer, which posted unexpectedly high sales figures that may signal that demand is starting to recover in the computer industry.
Acer’s global personal computer shipments increased by 2.3 percent in the third quarter to a total of 78.1 million units as the technology sector continues to recover from the recession’s impact on consumer demand. Every sales region except for Japan posted results that either met …read more

When Dell decided to close down its Forsyth County, North Carolina plant five years after opening its doors, one that the state of North Carolina secured by offering Dell $318 million in various incentives, the debate concerning whether or not the state should have offered so much money has been reborn. While North Carolina’s then-governor Mike Easley argued that the plant would create 8,000 jobs, the plant’s closure has quickly ended those jobs.
The politicians that lobbied for the incentives package argue that Dell could have succeeded with the plant and that their opening the plant in the first place was …read more

Not long ago, Winston-Salem, North Carolina was extremely exciting about the new Dell manufacturing plant that came to town. But by the first month of 2010, the plant, which manufactured desktop computers, will be no more.
Dell blames the closure on an attempt to improve efficiency and simplify operations.
“This is a difficult decision, especially for our North Carolina colleagues, but a necessary one for Dell customers and our company,” said Frank Miller of Del. “The efforts of our team members there have been significant and we’re committed to helping them through their transition.”
In total, the plant has more than 900 employees. …read more

Accenture Ltd., which specializes in technology outsourcing and consulting, has reported a quarterly profit that has fallen 41 percent due to lower revenue and a variety of restructuring charges. In addition to this, Accenture’s forecasts have remained tepid and the company has been forced to shed jobs and cut costs over the past year.
 
While Accenture had some hope in the possibility that the recession would increase demand for technology outsourcing, the possibility has not panned out. Instead, Accenture has been forced to deal with falling demand and weak revenue as other similar firms agree to be acquired, such as Dell’s …read more

Dell, the Texas based computer systems giant, has reached an agreement to buy Perot Systems for nearly $4 billion. Both companies had the purchase approved by its board of directors. By purchasing Perot Systems, Dell hopes to better compete with other technological giants such as IBM and Hewlett-Packard.
“We consider Perot Systems to be a premium asset with great people that enhances our opportunities for immediate and long-term growth,” said Michael Dell, the CEO of Dell. “This significantly expands Dell’s enterprise-solutions capabilities and makes Perot Systems’ strengths available to even more customers around the world.”
Perot Systems was founded in 1988 by …read more

The recession has taken an especially severe toll on computer makers and other technology companies as their main customers, corporations, have had to cut back on technology spending. However, one computer company, Dell, has posted surprisingly strong second quarter results that hint at an imminent recovery in sales as more companies become able to upgrade their computers once again.
 
Today, Dell reported profits of $472 million, or 24 cents a share, compared to $616 million in profits last year, marking a 23 percent decline over the year. However, excluding the costs associated with putting its recovery mechanisms in place, Dell reported …read more

Dell, the giant computer company based in Texas, has reportedly agreed to pay $9.1 million to settle a lawsuit that claimed the company discriminated based on gender. Although Dell settled the lawsuit, which was a federal class action lawsuit, the company didn’t admit to any wrong-doing.
The settlement comes in two parts. $5.6 million of the $9.1 million will be used to pay litigation costs and pay members of the class action suit. The rest of the settlement will be used to increase the pay of current female employees who work for Dell.
To make sure there aren’t problems in the future, …read more

If IBM had its way, former head of mergers and acquisitions, David Johnson, would not be allowed to work for Dell because he would allegedly be able to provide his new employer with trade secrets that would give Dell an unfair competitive advantage. However, a U.S. judge has sided with Dell and turned down IBM’s injunction against Johnson.
 
In his ruling, the judge decided that IBM never quite proved what secret information Johnson could actually supply to Dell that would give the company an edge over its rival.
 
Johnson, who now works as Dell’s senior vice president of corporate strategy, still faces …read more

Dell, one of the leading United States computer companies, saw their profits in the latest quarter decline by 63%. Last year, Dell had a quarterly profit of $784 million. This year, that number dropped all the way to $290.
Despite Dell coming up well short of expectations by most experts, CEO Michael Dell remained positive.
“Signals about the demand environment are mixed, but we’re preparing for what we believe will be a powerful replacement cycle,” said Dell, “with virtualization and managed services playing larger roles in what customers want and Dell provides.”
One of the big problems for Dell is that individuals and …read more

For years, environmental groups have pressured companies in the electronic industries to take a firm stance against exports of non-working dangerous materials to developing countries. The concern is that the developing countries can hurt people and the environment when dumping the material. Dell, a leading computer company out of Texas, has decided to take such measures.
Dell’s new policy regarding is available at Dell.com/recycling. Environmental groups have applauded Dell’s new policy.
“Too many companies are still exporting used, non-working electronic equipment to developing countries, supposedly for repairs,” said Barbara Kyle, the national coordinator for the Electronics TakeBack Coalition. “We applaud Dell for …read more