Dell Computer

In 1983, Michael Dell was a college freshman, who upgraded IBM-compatible PCs in his spare time in his dorm room at the University of Texas at Austin. Dell quickly realized that instead of upgrading older machines, he could buy components and assemble the entire PC more cheaply by himself. Then, he would sell the PC with his name on it directly to customers at a 15% discount to established brands. He built PCs to users’ specifications.

Dell soon started advertising in trade magazines and orders kept coming. Within a year, Dell had to drop out of college to attend to his business full time and on May 3, 1984, his dorm-room business officially became Dell Computer Corporation.

He shifted to assembling and marketing its own brand of PCs in 1985. In the first few years the company provided customers with a 24-hour hotline for complaints and guaranteed 24- to 48- hour shipment of replacement parts.

In 1987, Dell became the first PC company to offer next-day, on-site service. International expansion began with a subsidiary in the United Kingdom. Dell went public in 1988.

Dell released its first notebook computer, the 316LT, in 1989. The following years were marked by advancements in Dell’s mobile technology.
Dell Computer