Dell is in the process of buying back its shares to become a privately held companyonce again. Microsoft helped facilitate Dell’s $ 24.4 billion deal, with a $ 2 billion investment that makes the two tech giants partners of sorts. This is either the last gasp of desperation for PCs as we know it, or a sign that Dell and Microsoft still have innovative tricks up their proverbial sleeves.

We’ve been hearing for years about the “post-PC” era. Bill Gates originally coined the term in 1999 in an op-ed for Newsweek. Since Gates first declared the beginning of the “post-PC” era, PC sales have tripled.

However, Gates had the right idea—he was just ahead of his time. Apple’s launch of the iPad and the subsequent tablet revolution has brought the term “post-PC” back in vogue. Tablet sales are brisk, and PC sales are dwindling.

At face value, the “post-PC” trend doesn’t bode well for either Dell or Microsoft. Despite CEO Michael Dell’s claim that Dell is “not really a PC company“, the fact remains that Dell and PCs are synonymous in the eyes of most businesses and consumers. Plus, the operating system predominantly associated with PCs is Microsoft Windows.

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