It's no news that the PC market is still in the dumps. The real question is how long the doldrums might last. Microsoft (MSFT +0.56%) is hoping that Windows 8 can spark a new wave of growth, while Intel (INTC +0.31%) is marketing its Ultrabook designs very aggressively. Barclays analyst Ben Reitzes thinks PC unit sales could fall for "years to come," driven by a number of factors like smartphone and tablet cannibalization as mobile device adoption soars. Even in the enterprise market, tablets are all the rage. That spells bad news for Dell (DELL +0.00%) and Hewlett-Packard (HPQ 0.61%) as the top PC suppliers to the enterprise space. Doesn't look like PC woes are getting better anytime soon.
How Long Can the PC Slump Last?
By Evan Niu, CFA – Nov 14, 2012 at 4:31PM
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PC investors could be looking at deceleration for years.
About the Author
Evan is a Senior Technology Analyst at The Motley Fool. He was previously a Senior Trading Specialist at Charles Schwab, and worked briefly at Tesla. Evan graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, and is a CFA charterholder.