One of the biggest disappointments this earnings season came with the latest results from Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL ), which showed that the company's profit dropped by a massive 79% during the fiscal first quarter (ending on May 3). Such a significant downside surprise is helping to discourage sector surveys, which show major declines in PC sales this year. This creates a negative backdrop for Dell and its competitors, and with shares in Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL ) trading near their highs for the year the major earnings miss presents an interesting opportunity for short sellers looking to get bearish on the sector. Weaker earnings for PC Makers Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL ) 's latest report shows that profits dropped to $130 million, from $635 million seen in the same reporting period last year. Revenue declined by 2% (coming in at $14.1 billion), with the weakness driven largely by PC sales, which were lower by 9% (coming in at $8.9 billion) for the quarter.