14 DAY TRIAL // Every time a new Windows version is released, it’s only natural to expect the PC market to experience a boom in sales, as more users around the world want to make the most of the new operating system with the best hardware.
But in the case of Windows 10, its launch has barely improved new PC sales, and new statistics provided by analyst firm Gartner reveal that the market continued its collapse in the first quarter of 2016.
Worldwide PC shipments totaled 64.8 million units during the period, which represents a decline of no less than 9.6 percent from Q1 2015, when Windows 10 was still in the works.
Windows 10, the free upgrade
According to Gartner, one of the mains reasons for the PC decline is the deterioration of local currencies against the US dollar, explaining that customers still don’t find enough reasons to purchase a new computer. Although they don’t say it specifically, it’s very clear that Windows 10 has failed to become a catalyst for growing PC sales since its launch.
“Vendors that had a strong consumer focus struggled to increase sell in shipments. There was no particular motivation for U.S. consumers to purchase PCs in the first quarter of 2016. There have been increased sales of two-in-one PCs, but not enough to offset the decline in desktop and traditional notebook sales,” Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner, said.
Without a doubt, one of the factors that make Windows 10 less of a motivation to buy a new PC is the free upgrade promo that Microsoft launched last year, when it introduced the new operating system.
Computers running Windows 7 and 8.1 can freely upgrade to Windows 10 by July 29, 2016, and with the new operating system having the same system requirements as its predecessors, it’s easy to understand why so many people have decided not to buy new hardware and stick with their existing version of Windows.