Microsoft's (MSFT 1.22%) recently announced a major executive departure at the highest levels of the company. Windows chief Steven Sinofsky has abruptly left the company, just after the launch of Windows 8 and Surface. This even adds an element of uncertainty to Intel (INTC +1.28%), since any concerns surrounding Windows 8 could potentially weigh on Intel as the dominant supplier of PC processors. NVIDIA (NVDA +2.66%) powers the Surface RT with its Tegra processor, so underwhelming Surface unit sales won't bother Intel right now. The Intel-powered Surface is due out early next year. Other PC hardware players like Hewlett-Packard (HPQ 4.37%) and Dell (DELL +0.00%) are also relying on Windows 8 for a boost.
