Microsoft Corporation (MSFT), Intel Corporation (INTC): The PC Revival Will Come, But Not as You Imagined

Now, the playing field is somewhat leveled. The competition between Apple’s iPad and Android-powered tablets has provided some leeway for new players. According to IDC, iPad shipments are expected to make up 46% of the global tablet market share in 2013, down from 51% in 2012. Tablets running on Android, on other hand, are expected to increase from 42% last year to 49% this year.

As Jefferies analyst Peter Misek put it, the iPhone is now on the defensive against Samsung. It now seems that the iPhone’s dwindling market is also rubbing off to the iPad. As Apple fights these battles, room is being created for newer players.

One such player is Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT).

Despite the IDC saddling the decline in PC on Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)’s ‘complicated’ Windows 8 operating system, I believe that the muted response to Windows 8 was just a mere speed bump. The consumer end of the market is in a transition phase. Windows 8, when combined with Intel’s Haswell, will create a force to reckon with, especially if you consider that fact that Windows now has a presence in mobile.

Windows 8 in Haswell powered ultrabooks will be instrumental in roping in Windows Phone users and creating a strong ecosystem for Windows. Considering that an ultrabook could also be passed by as a tablet (with a detachable keyboard), a superior Haswell powered ultrabook running on Windows 8 could bring in tablet users from other device makers.

Conclusion

If anything, these signs signal Intel’s bright prospects. Don’t be surprised if it uses Haswell to stage a formidable PC resurgence through ultrabooks.

The article The PC Revival Will Come, But Not as You Imagined originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Lennox Yieke.

Lennox Yieke has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Apple and Intel. The Motley Fool owns shares of Apple, Intel, and Microsoft. Lennox is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network — entries represent the personal opinion of the blogger and are not formally edited.

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