Apparently, Apple’s market cap has surpassed Dell’s recently. The occasion has reminded a few folks about some choice Michael Dell comments. First, in 1997 he claimed that Apple should close up shop. One wonders where his firm would’ve gotten their design cues from, but whatever. In the comments over at MacSlash, we find an even a better set of quotes in this BusinessWeek article:

Q: What is the future of Apple Computer?
A: Silicon Graphics.

Q: That bad?
A: Maybe it’s a little bit different. But if you look at proprietary computer companies, whether it’s Digital or Silicon Graphics (SGI ) or Apple (AAPL ), I think the fates are all relatively similar. We know how the movie ends. It’s just a question of what happens in the middle. Apple has a very little customer base. If you look at the economics, it has been extremely hard for Apple to get a return on its R&D with a shrinking volume base. It’s not to say that Apple’s products aren’t innovative or cool, but the economic factors here are so overwhelming, it’s very hard for them to swim against that tide.

Q: If you were running Apple, is there anything you could do to change that?
A: I would never take that job.

Prescient, that guy.