Revenue will be 14 billion dollars, below the 14.2 billion dollars average estimate of 21 analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial . Per-share earnings will be 21 cents to 23 cents, Round Rock, Texas-based Dell said Friday in a statement.

    Shares of Dell, which will announce final results for the quarter on Aug. 17, plunged 10.9 percent to 19.70 dollars. They are down 26 percent this year. Analysts had anticipated per-share profit of 32 cents, according to Thomson Financial .

    Revenue growth at Dell, which sells directly to customers via the Internet and phone, has slowed in recent quarters amid tougher competition from No. 2 PC maker Hewlett-Packard Co. and China's Lenovo Group Ltd.

    Some analysts question whether Dell can regain its high double-digit percentage growth of the early years of the decade.

    In hopes of retaining customers, Dell recently cut back on mail-in rebates and simplify its pricing on computers after customers complained the process for getting the sale price was too complex.

    While the move could help improve customer relations, analysts said, it was unlikely to significantly increase sales for the world's biggest personal computer maker.

    Last May, Dell unveiled plans to cut prices and is spending 100 million dollars to improve customer service, hiring more than 2,000 sales and support staff.

    While Dell "is seeing positive results and will continue to invest to drive a superior customer experience," it said in a statement on Friday, its lowered outlook nonetheless reflects "aggressive pricing in a slowing commercial market worldwide." Enditem

    (Agencies)