14 DAY TRIAL // The death of Windows XP is important not only for users and Microsoft, but also for the rest of the PC market, as the migration to newer software usually requires upgraded hardware and new computers.
IDC claims that worldwide PC shipments totaled 82.2 million units in the fourth quarter of 2013 and even though this represents as 5.6 decrease year-on-year, Windows XP’s retirement has actually managed to boost sales.
In the United States, PC shipments reached 17.1 million units for the quarter and IDC claims that it was Windows XP’s demise the one that really helped achieve this threshold.
“The migration from Windows XP to Windows 7 and 8 continued to drive some momentum in the enterprise sector and once again businesses fared better than consumers,” IDC explained.
Of course, Microsoft also hopes that more users will move from Windows XP to a newer platform, most likely Windows 8.1, as the company also needs more users for its modern operating system.