Dell through the years

On Feb. 5, Dell Inc. announced it was going private in a $24.4 billion deal, selling itself to a consortium of investors, including founder Michael Dell.

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April 20, 1989

Michael Dell stands next to a conveyor belt at his company's production facility in Austin. As a freshman at the University of Texas, Dell started his computer company in 1984. In 1985, Dell released his first computer system, the Turbo PC, featuring an Intel 8088 processor and a 10MB hard drive.

Rebecca McEntee / AP

May 24, 2011

Stock screens for Apple Inc., top, and Dell Inc. are shown at the Nasdaq Market Site in New York. Dell went public in 1988 with a listing on Nasdaq, and the company’s market value peaked at $100 billion in March 2000. But since then, the company has seen its stock value decline and be surpassed by rivals, especially Apple, which concentrated on more consumer-based products such as the iPod and iPhone.

Mark Lennihan / AP

A showcase of computers at Dell Inc.’s headquarters in Round Rock, Texas, north of Austin. The company made the Fortune 500 list for the first time in 1992, as personal computer sales skyrocketed. Four years later, it became one of the first major hardware companies to embrace the Internet, with the launch of Dell.com, a Web site designed to sell computers to consumers.

/ Dell Inc.

2007

A Dell retail store in Beijing, China. In 2001, Dell is ranked the top computer systems provider worldwide, with sales on its Web site hitting $40 million a day. Although most of its computer sales are through its Web site, Dell used kiosks and store displays to give consumers a hands-on-feel for its products.

Ng Han Guan / AP

In 2007, Michael Dell returned as chief executive of the company after stepping down in 2004. Seen here at the Windows 8 launch event last October, Dell has been trying to reshape the company, more centered on business services.

Lucas Jackson / Reuters

In 2008, Dell moved into cloud related services with the acquisition of EqualLogic, Compellent, Quest Software, Wyse Technology and other companies. Above: a Wyse X Class laptop.

/ Dell Inc.

September 21, 2009

Michael Dell, left and Ross Perot, chairman emeritus of Perot Systems, shake hands in Dallas. Dell acquired the information technology services provider for $3.9 billion.

Allison V. Smith / AP

A Dell Streak 7 4G tablet computer debuted at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. In 2010, Dell entered the tablet market with the launch of Streak, a 5-inch tablet. The company was trying to play catch-up to rival Apple, which had a hit in its iPad tablet computer. Neither of the Dell tablets, however, succeeded, and Dell eventually pulled them from the market.

Isaac Brekken / AP

Dell sales sank in 2012, along with main competitors HP and Lenovo, as the PC market faced a decline in holiday sales for the first time in five years. On Feb. 5, Dell Inc. announces that its board has agreed to sell the company to a consortium of buyers that includes Michael Dell in a $24.4 billion deal that ends nearly 25 years of Dell as a publicly traded company. The deal, partially financed by Microsoft, allows Dell’s management to make moves outside pressure from Wall Street.

Paul Sakuma / AP

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