Dell shares get boost from strong earnings report

"The customer experience has been good this year," Enck said.

Barry Jaruzelski, a partner at the consulting firm Booz & Co., said Dell still faces drawbacks in its strategy of augmenting direct sales by phone or Internet with sales made through retail stores.

With retail sales, Jaruzelski said, Dell loses the direct contact that used to give the company immediate feedback on winning pricing and features and an edge over competitors. Now, he said, "They only know what the retailers will tell them, and they have higher overhead rates."

Carty said Dell was making progress in bringing down overhead while boosting retail sales.

But, he added, "Suffice it to say that direct is a lot more profitable than retail."