SEATTLE (AP) -- Computer maker Dell Inc. is expected to say Thursday that earnings fell nearly 28 percent in the most recent quarter as the recent trends that have plagued the PC industry continued.

Dell is set to report fiscal second-quarter earnings after the market closes.

Analysts predict Dell will post a profit of 23 cents per share for the May-through-July period. Revenue is expected to have declined 23 percent to $12.6 billion.

PC shipments didn't sink as quickly as analysts had expected in the quarter -- but that's because consumers continued to be drawn to low-priced laptops and their smaller, less powerful netbook cousins. Corporate spending on technology, which accounts for the majority of Dell's business, remained slow as the economic downturn persisted.