Mark Hachman |
@markhachman Senior Editor, PCWorld
- May 28, 2015 3:39 PM
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Microsoft’s decision to offer
free upgrades to Windows 10 was terrific news—for users, but not the PC industry.
IDC said Thursday that it expects PC sales to decline further in 2015, by 6.2 percent, versus an actual drop of 2.2 percent in 2014. In part, that’s because the analyst firm doesn’t see a need for users to invest in new PCs to run Windows 10. “[C]hanges like the free upgrade option for consumers and platform integration aren’t expected to drive a surge in new PC shipments,” IDC wrote.
Unfortunately, the only segment that will move quickly on Windows 10 is the segment that won't pay for it, IDC noted. "The consumer transition to Windows 10 should happen quickly, but the free upgrade reduces the need for a new PC." Instead, the firm predicted consumers will buy more mobile devices: "Many consumers will continue to prioritize spending on phones, tablets, and wearable devices like the Apple Watch during the holiday season.”
Not even the business sector is expected to jolt the PC market to life with Windows 10. "The commercial segment is expected to evaluate the OS before deploying it and most new commercial PCs will be replacement systems," the firm said.
In all, IDC said that it expects 289 million PCs will be sold this year, made up of 167.2 million notebooks and 121.8 million desktops. The future's slightly brighter: IDC predicts that 294.1 million PCs will be sold in 2019. That represents a mere 0.4-percent compound annual growth rate—but at least it’s growth.