</bigger></bigger></bold> By John Dodge, PC Week
Online
11.13.97 3:48 pm ET
BOSTON -- Steve Jobs said earlier this week that
he's "coming to get" Dell Computer
Corp. Chairman Michael Dell with Apple Computer
Inc.'s new direct-selling model.
Dell thinks that's, well, "silly."
Buttonholed just before his speaking engagement
at Forrester Research Inc.'s conference
here today, Dell said, "I don't know what to
think [about Jobs]. It's a little bit silly."
At an event in Cupertino, Calif., on Monday,
Jobs -- Apple's interim CEO -- said about
Dell, "With our new products and our new
[online] store, we're coming to get you,
buddy," causing the crowd to erupt in applause
and cheers.
One attendee at the announcement of new Macs and
a major online-selling initiative shouted,
"Kick some Wintel butt!" after Jobs' comment.
In its first 12 hours, The Apple Store, the
company's new Web-based effort, was busy
booking $500,000 in sales. However, it triggered
price cutting from resellers with whom
the new direct model competes.
Dell had provoked the wrath of the Mac faithful
several weeks ago at a Gartner Group
Conference in Orlando, Fla., when he said
Apple's assets should be carved up and sold,
with the proceeds going to shareholders.
Now he wishes the episode would just go away.
"If you listen to the tape, I tried to [dodge]
the question two times," Dell said. "It was a silly
question, so I gave a silly answer." He added
that the market has already voted for the PC
over the Mac.
"It's not a debate I wish to pursue," he said.
Dell said he has received E-mail both in favor
of and opposed to his position.
--
You only get pronounced two things in life,
man and wife, and dead on arrival. Dennis Miller
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