Michael Dell on Apple, Enterprise & Innovation

Michael Dell was on the Web 2.0 Summit this stage this morning, sharing his thoughts about everything from offsite servers, product innovation, their continued strength in the healthcare and enterprise sectors, and Apple.

I'll talk about the more personal side of what he shared with an audience of more than 600 people in San Francisco's Palace Hotel ballroom.

When he was 14, he bought an Apple 2, and he set up a bulletin board system. Way back when, he saw the power of Internet sharing and embraced it.

How do you have a company with big ears, learning all the time & listening? "It's something we ask ourselves all the time," he says.

He looks at social media as a fabulous way to learn with greater speed with greater scale, which is not unlike what he did at 14, only that he has significant tools to accelerate that sharing today. While he's an active user of Twitter and a big believer in getting "social" with his customers and fans, they also help other companies implement their own social media command centers. 

Dell talked about meeting Steve Jobs for the first time when he was 16 years old. Steve came to Houston Texas to address an Apple user group meeting and he was there with his trusty Apple 2.  He adds with a pause as he reflects. "Steve will be missed."

Yes he will Michael. He most definitely will.