14 DAY TRIAL // The release of new Windows versions has always been regarded as one compelling reason to upgrade the configuration of a computer or buy a new one, but when Microsoft decided to offer Windows 10 free of charge to those on Windows 7 and 8.1, paying for new hardware made almost no sense.
And IDC says that it’s this free upgrade to Windows 10 that caused significant drops in PC sales around the world, with 2016 figures now likely to reveal a decline of 7.3 percent year over year.
The company also estimates that this year’s numbers will be just 2 percent below the original forecast, which is actually a good thing, given how many users decided to postpone buying a new PC and stick with the same configuration just because Windows 10 runs smoothly.
“The financial pressure on consumers across regions, and the availability of alternatives such as delaying a PC replacement by using a free Windows 10 upgrade or relying more on other devices continues to pressure consumer PC shipments. Similarly, while a large share of enterprises are evaluating Windows 10, the pace of new PC purchases has not yet stabilized commercial PC shipments,” IDC explains.
The PC market will keep declining until 2020
The research firm also adds that, over the next four years, the PC market will continue to drop. So while it’s estimated that this year the traditional desktop would reach sales of 103.3 million units and have a market share of 40.4 percent, these figures would drop to 94.2 million units and a market share of 37.8 percent in 2020.
This is a drop of 1.8 percent, mostly because customers will move to alternative devices, such as smartphones and 2-in-1s.
Microsoft’s free upgrade promo for Windows 10 is projected to end on July 29, so users who’ll want to install the new OS beyond this date will have to purchase a license at the full price of $119.99. Many enterprises are already piloting Windows 10 in their organizations, and bigger adoption figures of the OS are expected to be recorded in the next 12 months.