Windows 10 Unlikely To Reverse Sagging PC Sales: Report

All the excitement being generated by Microsoft's Windows 10 operating system will not translate to better personal computer sales this year, a report says. Despite the fact that the update corrects mistakes made in Windows 8 and 8.1, global PC sales will further retreat by 6.2 percent this year.

The projected slide reflects a worrisome performance deterioration by the industry from last year, when PC sales dipped by 2.2 percent, according to research firm International Data Corp. (IDC). The forecast for 2016 is also gloomy as the latest IDC data predicts another decline. By the firm’s estimation, sales growth remains elusive for PC vendors even after more than 12 months of worldwide circulation for the upcoming Microsoft operating system.

The software giant is likely to start rolling out Windows 10 in July.

Free Windows 10 Upgrade

IDC said that the projected migration from older Windows versions to Windows 10 is likely to be wholesale and swift but there will be no monetary rewards for PC makers. As Microsoft has announced, its upcoming OS is absolutely free for users running Windows 8, 8 and 8.1 on their machines.

Such an offer, welcomed by millions of consumers around the world, will surely discourage hardware upgrades as the software bump should prove satisfying for the moment. “IDC says the free Windows 10 upgrade will reduce the need for consumers to rush out to buy a new computer,” ZDNet said, citing the IDC report as a source.

And PC makers cannot count on the business sector for higher revenues as companies are likely to assume a wait-and-see attitude before subscribing to Windows 10. “The commercial segment is expected to evaluate the OS before deploying it and most new commercial PCs will be replacement systems,” PC World quoted the IDC report as saying.

Phablets To Be Blamed Too

The latest IDC report also highlighted the likelihood of continued weakening not only of conventional computing devices (desktops and laptops) but also of tablet computers. Consumers’ growing interest on hybrid and supersized smartphones will only contribute to the receding sales of PCs and tablets, the research firm said.

Another likely culprit is a Windows 10 feature called Continuum on Phone that permits the porting of a phone screen into a bigger monitor. Users are then allowed to perform normal computing tasks using the mobile device.

With such powerful feature, it is likely that Windows 10 will greatly contribute to the eventual demise of tablet computers that are already in decline. One report even claimed that the anticipated Surface Pro 5 could become dead on arrival on its release date and Microsoft can blame its latest software for such a possibility.