PC market ‘not dead’ , Michael Dell tells Paris audience

Dell founder Michael Dell made a surprise appearance at the Dell Technology Camp event in Paris yesterday, telling those gathered that "despite many stories about the death of the PC, it's not dead".

The recently restored company owner said he was revelling in it “once again being a family-owned company”.

The event, held in the plush surrounds of the city’s Maison des Polytechniciens building, saw Mr Dell reiterate that the company was remaining “very focused on tablets” and how “Windows RT was a mistake”. He also revealed that much of the company’s focus is now on “the next billion users” in emerging markets.

Mr Dell was also at pains to assure those in attendance that “we have all the capital we need” following his buyout of the company last month in partnership with investment firm Silver Lake.

Free cash flow
"We don't need [capital] any more," he said. "The company generated in the last 12 months more than $4 billion in free cash flow."

Mr Dell said the fight to gain control of the company was "a little harder than expected" after a challenge from investor Carl Ichan.

Matt Medeiros, who acts as Dell's vice president and general manager of security products, told The Irish Times that the back and forth over the buyout was "a distraction" internally, but he added that separating the company from the this "89-day treadmill" of quarterly reports will be of huge benefit to R&D efforts in particular.

Irish offices
Irishman Aongus Hegarty, Dell's president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa said Ireland's Dell offices, which employ over 2,500 people, will remain a "very important" part of the company under the new company structure.

The two-day event also saw the official unveiling of the company’s latest ultrabook – the powerful Dell Precision M3800, billed as “the world’s thinnest and lightest 15-inch true mobile workstation”.