14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft will soon debut the new Windows 8.1 OS update and everyone expects to see a whole new family of products that run it hitting the market in the next few months.
But even if every new Windows release is expected to boost sales of the PC market, Windows 8.1 has actually fueled the decline of the industry, a research by analyst firm Gartner reveals.
According to findings, PC shipments in Western Europe totaled 10.9 million units in the second quarter of 2013, a drop of no less than 19.8 percent compared to the same period of the previous year.
Windows 8.1 is partly to blame, Gartner says, as several vendors are actually waiting for the new operating system to hit the market and only then release new products.
"The market exit of the netbook PC, and vendors reducing their inventory to get the new Intel chips and Windows 8.1 have fuelled the decline in Western Europe," said Meike Escherich, principal research analyst at Gartner.
"We can expect some attractive new PCs in the stores for the fourth quarter of 2013, running Windows 8.1 with thinner form factors and longer battery life enabled by Intel's Haswell processors," Escherich added.
Windows 8.1 is projected to hit RTM sometime this month, while general availability is expected to be announced in the next few months.
Still, voices familiar with the matter have indicated that end users could get the final version of Windows 8.1 a lot sooner, as Microsoft is trying to give partners more time to bring new products to the market in time for the holiday season.
Windows 8.1 is the first major update for Windows 8 and it brings a wide array of improvements, including a Start button that’s always visible from the desktop and gets users to the Start screen with just one click.
Update: we've changed the title to better reflect Gartner's research findings and to point out that the Windows 8.1 wait is actually slowing down PC sales (original title: Windows 8.1 Actually Fuels the Decline of the PC Industry).