Dell Most Admired Company: CEO Slams Apple. Again.

This year, Dell Computer turns 21. They weren’t always “Dell.” The company started life as “PC’s Limited” in Texas, selling cheap boxes, hard drives, assembled PCs, etc. Except for the size of the company and the number of boxes shipped, not much has changed in 21 years.

Apple, on the other hand, has had a checkered but storied history. Innovative. Brash. Rich. Troubled. Beleaguered. Poor. Ressurected. Innovative. Rich. Leader. Again.

Fortune Magazine has a great list of American businesses. Click Here for the Most Admired list and a few others. Nothing will set your hair on fire or surprise you, though Dell CEO Kevin Rollins comments are painful (for the head of a company that’s “most admired”).

What does founder and Chairman Michael Dell say? “‘I know my mom would be proud, but I certainly don’t feel like we’re the most admired company.”

Fortune asks, “Could Dell ever come up with a PlayStation or an iPod on its own?” Think about it for a moment. Could a company without a soul or a product you can remember suddenly become “creative” and gain the hearts and minds of a market?

Dell CEO Kevin Rollins: ‘We could. But I don’t think that’s our strategy.’ Really? No, really. Here comes the good stuff.

“I think there are those who come up with those products, but frankly, as far as technologies that actually help customers, those two products are a one-product event. You can’t just have one product and then say you’re the innovative leader of the world. I’m a big admirer of everything [Apple’s] done. It’s phenomenal. But then to say it’s the world-beating wonder of forever? No, it’s not.’”

The “box maker” of mediocrity says they could but they don’t. Well, my little web site company could be as big and powerful as Time-Warner or USA Today. If I wanted. But that’s not my strategy.

Fortune writes, “Sounds like a case of Apple envy, which is understandable these days. While Dell is almost six times more profitable than Apple, its market cap is only three times bigger. Of course, thanks to the iPod, Apple is growing faster right now, and Steve Jobs’ company has all the buzz.”

An even more telling fact is that expenditures on Research and Development between Dell and Apple, well, let’s see… Hmmm. Dell is six times more profitable, 10 times greater revenue, but their R & D expenses are about the same as Apple. Imagine that.

For what it’s worth, there are other Lists in this Fortune link. Click Here for the whole scoop.

How about the Top 10 List of Innovative Businesses? Dell’s not on the list. Apple is #3. Who’s on the list of Top Software Developers? Apple, one of the top developers in the world, isn’t on the list. Go figure.

Notably absent from the top of the “Admiration” list is Microsoft. Both Dell and Microsoft execs have dissed (and praised) Apple’s efforts in recent months. Who’s the top CEO among major American corporations? Dell’s Rollins? Microsoft’s Ballmer? Nope. Steve Jobs, co-founder and CEO of Apple Computer, Inc.

Here’s another telling thought. See if it mirrors yours. In various business lives, I’ve purchased my share of Dells (and other boxes) and always had problems, sooner or later, particularly with the cheaper Dells. Serious problems with Macs are few and far between.

What Dell and other companies do not understand is that when I die they’ll have to pry my cold, stiff fingers from my Mac.

Who says that about a Dell?

Your thoughts? Do you grow tired of all the high-profile execs who diss Apple whenever they can? Share your comments, thoughts, experience, with other Mac users. Click on the Comments link below.