Dell develops, manufactures, sells, and supports personal computers, servers, data storage devices, network switches, personal digital assistants (PDAs), software, televisions, computer peripherals, and other technology-related products. As of 2008, Dell employed more than 95,000 people worldwide.

Dell grew through the 1980s and 1990s to become at one stage the largest seller of PCs and servers. It currently holds the third spot in the computer industry behind Hewlett Packard and Acer Inc.

In 2006, Fortune magazine ranked Dell as the 25th-largest company in the Fortune 500 list, 8th on its annual Top 20 list of the most-admired companies in the United States. In 2007 Dell ranked 34th and 8th respectively on the equivalent lists for the year. A 2006 publication identified Dell as one of 38 high-performance companies in the S&P 500 which had consistently out-performed the market over the previous 15 years.

2008-08-04