Dell Computer Corp. is ready to begin supersizing computer memory storage. Dell, one of the largest computer makers in the world, recently announced that it would stop putting floppy disk drives in its high-end personal desktop computers.

Dell is replacing the floppies with UB flash memory, which offers greater storage capacity. The 3.5-inch diskette, which has been the standard since the early 1990s, has 1.44 megabytes of memory while the UB flash memory has 16 megabytes.

Dell contends that the UB flash memory is more compatible with today’s mega-memory computers. The new equipment features convenient “plug-and-go” technology, which the computer can read just like a floppy disk.

Starting next month, Dell will offer floppy drives as an option on the Dimension 8250 models. Depending on customer reaction, Dell may make UB flash memory standard on all its computers, possibly as soon as the end of 2003.

Dell isn’t the first computer maker to drop the floppy. Apple Computer stopped putting floppy drives on its Macintosh computer five years ago. However, other PC makers, including industry leader Hewlett-Packard, still offer floppy drives.