Next up on the platform was Dell Computer Corp which is beginning to re-stimulate growth in computer demand with more competitive pricing and as a result the rate of improvement in its gross margin may moderate: however, president of worldwide sales, marketing and service operations Joel Kocher said margins are such to allow this pricing competition; the gross margin at the company climbed to 22.2% in the first quarter ended May 1, from 18.6% in the fourth quarter; Dell expects to introduce new portable computers this summer; the company is refocusing its efforts on restablishing its dominance in direct-marketing or mail order; he pointed out that Dell’s introduction a Pentium-based computer for under $2,000 should help re-establish its position; he also said that the computer industry is in a rapid transition from Intel Corp’s 80486 microprocessor to the Pentium processor and in the first quarter, 10% of Dell’s system revenues were Pentium-based personal computers.
