Revenue for the quarter that ended Oct. 31 was US$15.16 billion, a 3 percent drop compared to the third quarter of last year, and short of the $16.2 billion estimated by analysts polled by Thomson Reuters. Earnings per share were $0.37, besting analyst estimates of $0.31.

Net income dropped 5 percent to $727 million, but beat analyst estimates of $616 million.

Dell's consumer business had 10 percent revenue growth globally, while the commercial business had a revenue decline in the Americas and EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) of 8 percent and 5 percent, respectively. Commercial laptop shipments had flat growth year-over-year, while server shipments dropped by 4 percent. Commercial revenue grew by only 2 percent in the Asia-Pacific and Japan region.

The global IT environment will continue to be challenging and Dell will try to adapt, the company said.

"Given the choice between profits and growth, we will go for profits," CEO Michael Dell said on a conference call with analysts.