Dell Sheds Light on Turnaround Plan

Company executives also hinted on Monday that Dell does not plan to stand on the sidelines in a world full of sexy gadgets such as iPhones and Blackberries.

Chief Marketing Officer Mark Jarvis said that Dell was preparing to roll out new consumer products beyond PCs. The new products, which Jarvis would not describe, will "take us into new segments in the consumer market," he said.

Dell has stumbled in earlier attempts to step outside of the PC business, canceling an MP3 player and reportedly shutting down its business making flat panel televisions. But recent moves, such as the hiring of former Motorola Vice President Ron Garriques and the acquisition of MP3 software company Zing Systems, have led to speculation that Dell wants to try its hand at the consumer electronics space once again.

As for questions about whether Dell is a company with the creative spirit to dream up innovative, sexy gadgets, Michael Dell pointed to the company's latest line of consumer notebooks, which come in such colors as flamingo pink and espresso brown.

"We have to apologize because we might have excited them a little too much," he said, referring to consumers who have seen their orders for the new notebooks delayed.

That line of reasoning seems somewhat curious, however, given that the PC maker has already acknowledged that the delays are due to problems painting the notebooks in the new colors -- even lackluster demand is too much demand when a company can't actually manufacture the product.

Dell shares were up 5 cents at $26.60 in extended trading Monday.