If Steve Jobs says it, well most times I listen to it. Honestly.

Early this morning CnnMoney.com reported that Jobs sent out an all-hands Apple email late last week pointing out that Apple's market cap exceeded Dell's.

Chairman Steve's missive was a shot back at Michael Dell who was asked by a New York Times reporter, after Jobs' return to Apple in 1997, what he would do with the company if he were in Jobs' shoes.Dell said "I'd shut it down and return the money to the shareholders."

in Last Friday's email Jobs told Apple employees Michael Dell turned out to be imperfect seer but that at the close of market on Friday Apple was worth more than Dell. "...things may be different tomorrow, but I thought is was worth a moment of reflection today. Steve."

Nice note, Mr. Jobs. You really have turned around Apple and infused its employees with a sense of accomplishment that's well deserved.

As for Dell, I've thought for a long time that Apple could take over Dell's position in the portable market. And, when Intel-equipped iBooks begin shipping I think Dell (along with Sony) will be hard hit.

Apple's portable brands will start shipping t at a time when notebook sales continue to skyrocket. I think the company's 14-inch and versions with larger screens are first-tier notebooks with above average configurations and brand awareness that rival Leonovo's ThinkPad line. I really like Apple's  Bluetooth implementation,and somewhat lighter than normal carry weights. Furthermore, I suspect that Intel's duo-core Pentium processors will really make iBook and PowerBook electron misers as well as outright speed demons. On the downside, I dislike the idea of having to buy Macintosh software to integrate Apple portables into my stable of equipment (although Apple's current 50 percent off deal on new versions of Office make this less distasteful)and really wish that Apple would add card readers to all its portable products.

I believe the most important takeaway when looking at Apple versus other notebook makers is that research and development are vital components of brand awareness and management. And, after reading a recent post in Guy Kawasaki's blog elsewhere here on TypePad, I agree that the place to promote what goes into a brand (including R&D) is through effective public relations. but in order for this to happen, PR departments absolutely need to have people who can understand and communicate an important nuanced messaging, not just bullet points in a PowerPoint presentation.

Seriously.