What HP's recent results and turnaround means for Dell

Hewlett-Packard has been on a roll since the company fired flamboyant CEO Carly Fiorina and replaced the top spot with an operational and logistics wizard Mark Hurd from NCR. Hurd has placed an emphasis on right-sizing the HP population as well as correcting the course of the global computing company and has effectively started to reverse the fortunes of a great American corporate icon from the disastrous days of Fiorina.

Not that Carly was a bad executive -- just misplaced as a CEO. Her marketing and PR finesse was top-notch at Lucent as well as other companies. But, a computing behemoth like HP needs someone with a firm operational background and a no-nonsense environment to get things done and show results. Mark Hurd appears to be that person. After all, he did the same job at NCR, turning it back from the brink.

What does HP's latest results mean for PC sales leader Dell? Plenty -- HP has said that it is back with a vengeance. Combine HP's latest excellent quarterly results with all the recent missteps by industry leader Dell and it's not hard to imagine HP being on the comeback trail against the former #2 that overtook HP years ago to become the world's largest computer company. With $1.38 billion in earnings for the latest quarter ending July 31st, HP is making no bones about being back with teeth of fire. The only question is, can HP bite enough into the soft underbelly of Dell to hurt its largest rival?

Brian White has worked in various executive positions in technology and telecommunications and now focuses on editing and writing.