Third-quarter PC sales are down 8% globally, marking the steepest drop since 2001, according to IDC and Gartner analysts. Hewlett-Packard (HPQ -1.14%) is suffering an additional blow, knocked from its top spot as world's largest PC maker. Lenovo (LNVGY -2.46%) has finally succeeded in claiming the title after methodically buying IBM's (IBM 1.48%) PC division and pricing aggressively towards this end. All in all, what we're seeing is an overall destructive trend in the market. In the video above, Fool.com analyst Andrew Tonner provides the full story, along with the likelihood of Microsoft's (MSFT 0.65%) Windows 8 swooping in as the PC market's savior, and an update on how Apple (AAPL -1.85%) is faring on the other side of the coin.
One thing's for sure, though: It's been a frustrating path for Microsoft investors, who have watched the company fail to capitalize on the incredible growth in mobile and more over the past decade. However, Microsoft has several highly-anticipated upcoming opportunities to make a splash in booming new markets. In The Motley Fool's premium research report on Microsoft, analyst and Microsoft expert Charly Travers tells you what's keeping shares cheap, and where the company can unlock value. While the opportunity is huge, the challenges are many, so for a full year he'll be providing regular updates on Microsoft as key news develops. Don't miss out -- click here now to claim your copy of this valuable report.
