As Dell Admits Earnings Hit, the Rest of the PC Industry Remains in Jeopardy

It took a while but Dell (DELL Quote) finally came clean.

After a few weeks of weaving and bobbing, Dell eventually fessed up to the impact that the Taiwan earthquake is having on its operations. For the first time in six years, the Round Rock, Texas, direct seller of computers will miss an earnings estimate. TheStreet.com first warned that Dell was likely to have problems in the third quarter in an Oct. 6 story.

Faced with rising component prices, Dell realized that it could not pass the price increases on to its customers. Although Dell says its troubles are short-term, the rest of the PC industry may face a tough fourth quarter. ...