NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO, April 4 (Reuters) – Blackstone Group
will visit Dell Inc’s headquarters on Monday to begin
an in-depth analysis of the company, sources said, a strong sign
the buyout firm is proceeding with an offer that could upset
founder Michael Dell’s $24.4 billion buyout bid.

Blackstone and billionaire investor Carl Icahn
separately made preliminary proposals in late March that, if
finalized, could be superior to the offer on the table from
Michael Dell and private equity firm Silver Lake Partners LP.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Hewlett-Packard Co Chairman Ray Lane, who has come under fire from shareholders for his role in the acquisition of software company Autonomy Plc, has stepped down, the company said on Thursday, in a shake-up that will usher in two to three new board members.

Director and activist investor Ralph Whitworth will become interim chairman until a permanent replacement is found.

BEIJING/SAN FRANCISCO, April 1 (Reuters) – Apple Inc
Chief Executive Tim Cook apologised to Chinese
consumers on Monday and altered iPhone warranty policies in its
No. 2 market after more than two weeks of condemnation of its
after-sales service in the state-run media.

From China Central Television to the People’s Daily
newspaper, government-controlled media outlets bashed the
world’s largest technology corporation for its “arrogance,”
protesting among other things that its current one-year service
warranty was far shorter than in other smaller markets.

SAN FRANCISCO/NEW YORK (Reuters) – Dell Inc founder Michael Dell’s efforts to take the PC company private began last summer with an idea pitched by its top institutional shareholder, Southeastern Asset Management.

Here is a timeline of the discussions as disclosed on Friday in Dell’s preliminary proxy statement:

SAN FRANCISCO/NEW YORK, March 29 (Reuters) – Dell Inc
founder Michael Dell’s efforts to take the PC company
private began last summer with an idea pitched by its top
institutional shareholder, Southeastern Asset Management.

Here is a timeline of the discussions as disclosed on Friday
in Dell’s preliminary proxy statement :

NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Dell Inc warned on Friday that it would be dangerous to take on a lot of debt and remain a public company given its worsening profit outlook, in a sign that it views proposals from Blackstone Group LP and billionaire investor Carl Icahn as fraught with risk.

The No. 3 maker of personal computers published a 274-page preliminary proxy statement to inform Dell shareholders of how a $24.4 billion buyout proposal from founder and Chief Executive Michael Dell and private equity firm Silver Lake Partners was put together, and why it is the best of all the alternatives the company’s board had explored.