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 0.39%) is hoping that Windows 8 can spark a new wave of growth, while Intel (INTC -1.59%) 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.DL) and Hewlett-Packard (HPQ -1.11%) as the top PC suppliers to the enterprise space. Doesn't look like PC woes are getting better anytime soon.
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How Long Can the PC Slump Last?
NASDAQ: MSFT
Microsoft

PC investors could be looking at deceleration for years.
Fool contributor Evan Niu, CFA, has no positions in the stocks mentioned above. The Motley Fool owns shares of Intel and Microsoft. Motley Fool newsletter services recommend Dell, Intel, and Microsoft. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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