Windows 8 uncertainty blamed for decline in PC sales

or the first time in five years, PC shipments over the holiday shopping season were lower than the year before - and IDC is blaming Windows 8.

The research firm says that a hoped-for boost to sales from the new operating system failed to materialize, contributing to fourth quarter sales down by 6.4 percent, 4.5 percent in the US.

"Although the third quarter was focused on the clearing of Windows 7 inventory, preliminary research indicates the clearance did not significantly boost the uptake of Windows 8 systems in Q4," says Jay Chou, senior research analyst with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker.

Source

A Guy

 

[chrisa]

Hi there

The title of the thread says it all.

It really is a whole load of "Bovine Scatology" or for those whose literary skills are somewhat challenged here's another way of saying the same thing. (Scr shot).

PC sales are in terminal decline for all sorts of reasons --W8 has NOTHING to do with it -- people can do all sorts of things on OTHER devices that they USED to use a PC for --it's inivitable. PC sales won't diminish to ZERO but they will certainly diminish hugely in future.

Cheers
jimbo

I can't wait for the prices to get cheap enough for everyone to run a mini-data center out of their PC and basically manage their own cloud :>.

 

[SIW2]

Jimbo
Windows 8 has NOTHING to do with it

What makes you think that?

 

[jimbo45]

Jimbo
Windows 8 has NOTHING to do with it

What makes you think that?

Hi there
I thought I've said it in the threads -- PC's are much less used these days as people use other devices for Internet, email, multi-media etc instead so the volume of PC sales would decline WHATEVER OS is installed on them --nothing to do with W8.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there

The title of the thread says it all.

It really is a whole load of "Bovine Scatology" or for those whose literary skills are somewhat challenged here's another way of saying the same thing. (Scr shot).

PC sales are in terminal decline for all sorts of reasons --W8 has NOTHING to do with it -- people can do all sorts of things on OTHER devices that they USED to use a PC for --it's inivitable. PC sales won't diminish to ZERO but they will certainly diminish hugely in future.

Cheers
jimbo

I can't wait for the prices to get cheap enough for everyone to run a mini-data center out of their PC and basically manage their own cloud :>.

Hi there
we are talking here about individual users -- a mini-data center is a TOTALLY different idea and about as far removed from typical casual users as its possible to be --in any case a lot of these data centers are actually server "Farms" using a load of "Blade servers" -- not by any stretch of the imagination a "normal PC".

Blade server - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cheers
jimbo

 

[mart4494]

Hi there
I thought I've said it in the threads -- PC's are much less used these days as people use other devices for Internet, email, multi-media etc instead so the volume of PC sales would decline WHATEVER OS is installed on them --nothing to do with W8.

Cheers
jimbo

I think we're at cross purposes now. Many folks did not need a desktop/laptop for their e-mailing, casual browsing, facebook, etc but that's all that was available at the time. So now they've got a choice whether it's the fruit company, android, surface or even a smartphone and that fits their requirements.

Looking at my local PC superstore all they were offering were laptops with Win8 installed. No touch screen. For those looking to replace what they've already got (in the laptop world) simply to acquire something newer then I think Win8 would have been a negative. Combined with the 'expert quality' of staff trying to sell these laptops then it would have been a no go for many.

Okay you can bomb Win8 back to looking like the OS folks are familiar with via classic shell or what have you but just how many of these store 'experts' would have known that. So in this area I think Win8 has been a drag on sales especially as there are already some reports about buyers requiring a 'downgrade' to Win7.

We live in interesting times and the next few months, when reliable sales figures are around will tell more of a story. Sure the economic situation doesn't help but neither does Win8 imo. It's not a must have OS.

 

[SIW2]

We live in interesting times and the next few months, when reliable sales figures are around will tell more of a story. Sure the economic situation doesn't help but neither does Windows 8 imo. It's not a must have OS.

I think it worse than that.

I think it is actually putting people off.

 

[mart4494]

We live in interesting times and the next few months, when reliable sales figures are around will tell more of a story. Sure the economic situation doesn't help but neither does Windows 8 imo. It's not a must have OS.

I think it worse than that.

I think it is actually putting people off.

Well just maybe MS will be earning a few extra $$'s with their app downloads and cloud computing but if their existing user base does not adopt 8 in respectable numbers then the penny will drop. Just maybe then 8 will be available with choice at install time assuming the speed benefits can be maintained.

There does of course also exist the scenario that if the start menu was applied with many of the normal Win7 options then those speed benefits would no longer exist but I'm not that well versed in all the underlying programming behind 8.

 

[SIW2]

mart

if their existing user base does not adopt 8 in respectable numbers

It doesn't appear to be happening.

maybe then 8 will be available with choice

Maybe.

 

[lehnerus2000]

What a load of drivel

From another thread:

Another story on the death of the PC.

Desktop PCs less popular than ever

"U.S. desktop PC shipments are down 40% in the past decade ..."

The graph doesn't support the headline.

PC shipments are actually up 100%+ over the decade.
2002: 14.2M units
2012: 30.6M units

---

Hey, here is the latest. Just got an email from my domain hosts, Hostgator (an american company). Thery have been ORDERED by the EU, to start charging VAT for EU residents at the country VAT rate, from the next bill.

I have copied this to a new thread in diff section

They can only charge you VAT if they are VAT Registered. Ask them for their VAT Registration # and country registered.

Years ago, instead of introducing a Financial Assets Conversion Tax, which would have taxed the people who were ultimately responsible for the GFC, the (Conservative) Government introduced a Goods and Services Tax, which was offset by reducing/eliminating taxes that were (mostly) paid by the Rich.

Now Retailers are b*******, because people are buying goods online and any sale below $1K is GST free.

I can't wait for the prices to get cheap enough for everyone to run a mini-data center out of their PC and basically manage their own cloud :>.

Agreed.
A personal "Private Cloud" for the mobile toys (phones and tablets).

 

[SIW2]

Jimbo
volume of PC sales would decline

Possibly - but why do you think the os has no effect whatsoever.

Don't you think if it was an os people were gagging to have, it would stimulate the market - not necessarily into vast growth, but at least the decline would not be very great.

Conversely:

Don't you think if it was an os a lot of people absolutely do not want - then that would make the decline greater?

Just because you think there are several factors - does it make sense to ignore the ones you are in control of?

Jimbo
Windows 8 has NOTHING to do with it

What makes you think that?

Hi there
I thought I've said it in the threads -- PC's are much less used these days as people use other devices for Internet, email, multi-media etc instead so the volume of PC sales would decline WHATEVER OS is installed on them --nothing to do with W8.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[lehnerus2000]

I wonder why PC sales "boomed" ...

Jimbo
volume of PC sales would decline

Possibly - but why do you think the os has no effect whatsoever.

Don't you think if it was an os people were gagging to have, it would stimulate the market - not necessarily into vast growth, but at least the decline would not be very great.

Conversely:

Don't you think if it was an os a lot of people absolutely do not want - then that would make the decline greater?

Just because you think there are several factors - does it make sense to ignore the ones you are in control of?

Desktop PCs less popular than ever

I wonder why PC sales "boomed" in 2009 and 2010?

 

[elbmek]

I have spoken at length to HG, they have not been charging any foreign web users US VAT. I have actually found a way around it.

I have a few sites, some are local business sites, none profit to me, they are part of the problem but I would have thought non shopping web sites come under advertising??? But if they can get away with that, its up to the site owner to claim it back through normal channels.

My own sites are private and still liable for vat BUT, as with the others, I put them under ONE domain, as add ons, and pay VAT only on the parent domain. There is plenty of time to work this one out as all the sites bar one have only recently been renewed and nothing will be affected till the next wave of renewals.

My name site will not be liable until 2015 due to my recently extended the site. And another is paid up to 2017!!

 

[chrisa]

Hi there

The title of the thread says it all.

It really is a whole load of "Bovine Scatology" or for those whose literary skills are somewhat challenged here's another way of saying the same thing. (Scr shot).

PC sales are in terminal decline for all sorts of reasons --W8 has NOTHING to do with it -- people can do all sorts of things on OTHER devices that they USED to use a PC for --it's inivitable. PC sales won't diminish to ZERO but they will certainly diminish hugely in future.

Cheers
jimbo

I can't wait for the prices to get cheap enough for everyone to run a mini-data center out of their PC and basically manage their own cloud :>.

Hi there
we are talking here about individual users -- a mini-data center is a TOTALLY different idea and about as far removed from typical casual users as its possible to be --in any case a lot of these data centers are actually server "Farms" using a load of "Blade servers" -- not by any stretch of the imagination a "normal PC".

Blade server - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cheers
jimbo

I am too.. just individual users in the future :>. Data Center is just lots of processors and storage running in parallel.

Intel Xeon Phi co-processor simplifies supercomputing | ZDNet

A Teraflop computer in the form factor of a video card brick and fits in the same PCIe slot most people have in their PC's.

The technology is getting such that even taking a fragment of a data center and form factoring it into PC specifications provides both computational and storage capabilities far beyond the current capabilities of the home. Why would you do this? A) Its Cool and B) You can simply start hosting your own websites(allthough you'd probably want to wait for Fiber).

 

[A Guy]

I might agree that 8 does not have a lot to do with it, but would not agree it has absolutely nothing to do with it. Even if it is just a small percentage, it would still not be absolutely nothing. And like Si says, if Windows 8 was a "must have" I guarantee there are people who would be getting new PC's with the new "must have" OS on it. This may be a small subset, but it would be hard to believe if everyone universally agreed 8 was a winner, that it wouldn't push more PC sales. A Guy