After what seemed like ages of hints and feints, Dell has finally, officially reached a deal to go private. It's going to be led by its founder Michael Dell, with a financial assist from private equity firm Silver Lake and PC enthusiast Microsoft. Will it be enough to make the company—and more specifically, its products—relevant again?
The iPad Age and the rise of the Mac have challenged the entire Windows ecosystem, but it's hard to think of a company that felt the sting more sharply than Dell. Once a PC juggernaut—a decade ago, it sold more computers than anyone in the world—the company's market share has faded in recent years, falling behind relative to the likes of HP and Lenovo at a time when the entire segment was collapsing under the weight of tablets. Dell has no mobile products to speak of. Its PC lineup has been competent but uninspired. It's spent the last several years, in other words, as an afterthought.
