sleepy

Dell Gets Ready for a Comeback - Barron's

More than all the profit that Dell has made from the start has been spent on buying back the stock that insiders were selling as their options matured. That's how Dell has net tangible assets of a billion or so despite tens of billions in past profit. So insiders have already taken all the money - the cash that remains is borrowed.

The Wintel glory days are over. Dell and HPQ have gutted their companies in a drive for efficiency. Possibly a winning strategy in a growth market, but potentially suicidal in difficult times.

In a Recession, Who Still Needs Tech?

I'm not sure the writer actually knows what it's like to manage your affairs on a small budget. A smart phone is a key economic resource when you lose your job and/or home. Just two examples: rapid response is necessary to get items from the freecycle network (see wikipedia), and progressing job applications at no marginal cost by email. An iPod is a known one time cost that entertains you for almost nothing; so it's also justifiable in hard times, especially because you can always ebay it if things get tight. Can't do that with an evening out, or meals eaten at Macdonald's.