Michael Dell

Dell shares opened sharply lower on Wednesday after the PC maker posting disappointing financial results. Sales are soft, margins are contracting, and the outlook is uninspiring.

It's a new day at Apple. The transition from a dynamic leader like Steve Jobs to a new generation at the helm of the iGiant will change the culture. Not in a year, not even in five -- but before you know it, we'll be talking about Apple in the "good old days" back when Jobs ran things.

Computer maker Dell reported better-than-expected earnings of $629 million, or 32 cents per share, excluding charges. A key driver for the gain was rising commercial demand for its enterprise solutions.

Computer giant Dell Inc. has been slapped with a $100 million penalty to settle charges of accounting fraud and lying to investors, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced. Under the SEC settlement, Chairman and CEO Michael Dell, one of the world's richest men with a net worth of...

According to the SEC lawsuit that Dell just settled for $100 million, Dell cooked its books from 2002 to 2006 by using "exclusivity" payments from Intel totaling $4.3 billion to inflate its revenue numbers and otherwise fraudulently meet Wall Street analysts' expectations.

Turns out, the incredible results Dell delivered during the last decade weren't so incredible after all. The SEC has levied fines against Dell, and founder Michael Dell, after charging the computer-maker with accounting fraud.

It's been a rough year for those in the branding business at big corporations. SEC probes, massive product recalls and one monstrous oil spill have taken a toll on the reputations -- and stock prices -- of some major companies. Here are 10 of the biggest losers so far.

Dell is close to a finalizing a deal with the SEC over an accounting scandal, which would include founder and CEO Michael Dell facing allegations of fraud through negligence. Dell, however, is expected to remain as CEO and chairman of the company he founded.

The computer maker's namesake founder says he's contemplating it. But a leveraged buyout would be an enormous undertaking -- amounting to perhaps $39 billion. Here are some factors to consider in seeing if a buyout is feasible.

With apologies to Warren Buffett, it's only when the tide comes in that you learn who can swim. With waves of growth on the horizon for the tech sector, it's becoming increasingly apparent that Dell (DELL), the declining PC powerhouse, cannot swim. So maybe it's time for Michael Dell (pictured) to...