Dell faced a troubling fourth quarter, and is now scrambling to rebound. According to the Associated Press,

The company faces a raft of issues, from an ongoing federal accounting investigation to customer service complaints and shareholder lawsuits, not to mention growing competition.

One of the tactics Dell will use to regain favor with the public is the return of Michael Dell as chairman and CEO. The founder of the company hopes to restore confidence in the brand he established. It’s a classic move. It was Michael Dell, after all, who took this company from nothing to the powerhouse that it was in 2000.

Let’s face it: No computer company is branding their product like Apple. With the Mac versus PC commercials, Apple is defining itself as the trendy and functionally superior alternative. The iPod sent Apple rocketing into the popularity stratosphere. Apple is successfully building on the popularity and trendy attitude of the iPod and carrying it out across the board.

Dell’s a different story. Dell computers were originally known for it’s reliability and affordable prices. That reputation has largely evaporated over the past few years. What’s left? The only good things I hear about Dell these days revolve around their servers and high dollar equipment - a complete turnaround from the company’s original claim to fame.

The New York Times quotes Michael Dell:

In the company’s statement, Mr. Dell called for investor patience. “We won’t achieve our goals overnight, but we will achieve our goals,” he said. “We will be known again for strong operating and financial performance and a great experience for our customers. But it will take time to realize the future benefits of the improvements we are making today.”

It remains to be seen whether the iconic do-it-yourself computer figure will be able to realign the company’s future.

Perhaps even more frightening than Dell’s poor management and business strategy are the rumors of a deal with Google to popularize the disposable computer. In this rumored scenario, Google provides the hard drive space via internet and Dell provides the affordable monitor and keyboard unit. The marketing spin is the safety of one’s hard drive from viruses and hackers. You would be expected to put all of your trust in Google and Dell would just pimp out its cheap hardware. Not especially comforting, if you ask me.

For now, Michael Dell is banking on his own reputation as the saving grace for Dell investors and speculators. Time will tell if the man can actually still compete in today’s market.

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