Analyst says that three of the past four OS increased sales

Jun 22, 2015 06:21 GMT  ·  By

Every time a new Windows version comes out, PC makers around the world expect increased sales of their devices because it's believed that a big part of users would be looking into new hardware to make the most of the fresh operating system.

And this usually happens, with manufacturers experiencing better sales in the first quarter after a new Windows version is released, so it's easy to see why Windows 10's arrival is so eagerly awaited.

Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty said in a note to investors that Windows 10 is likely to boost sales too, explaining that a growth of 6 percentage over the average season sales for PC makers is expected after the new operating system launches on July 29.

But Huberty also pointed to some very interesting figures, revealing that out of the four latest Windows versions released by Microsoft, Windows 8 was the only one that failed to boost PC sales.

During the Windows 8 launch quarter, PC sales fell 7 percent compared to the season average, Investors.com notes, which is pretty much living proof that Microsoft's first modern OS version failed to reach expectations.

“The release of new Windows operating systems historically have acted as a tailwind for PC demand. Quarters that include a Windows operating system launch historically generate stronger-than-average seasonal demand for PCs. In three of the past four OS launches (XP, Vista, Windows 7 & Windows 8), PC seasonality during the quarter strengthened 4 (percentage) points on average compared to the trailing 3-year historical average seasonality,” Huberty said.

Windows 10 forecasts

Windows 10 is obviously expected to boost sales when it comes out in approximately one month, and this time PC makers and Microsoft alike have every reason to be optimistic.

First and foremost, the new OS comes with plenty of new features and brings back some of those that made Windows 8 difficult to use for beginners, such as the Start menu.

Second of all, Windows 10 will be launched during the back-to-school shopping season, and since Microsoft has already worked with partners to bring plenty of new devices to the market, this is the perfect time to buy a new computer running Windows.

Windows 10 will have the same price as Windows 8, but a Bing-branded version will also be offered to manufacturers at a lower cost or even free of charge to bring more affordable devices to the market.