Recommended Posts

PC sales certainly haven't been good over the past year or so, but this past quarter was record-setting bad.

Shipments of PCs fell 14% worldwide last quarter, according to IDC. It was the worst yearly decline since IDC began tracking the data in 1994.

The drop in PC shipments was nearly twice as bad as the 7.7% decline IDC expected, and it marked the fourth consecutive quarter in which PC shipments fell year-over-year.

Gartner, another technology consultancy, posted similar figures on Wednesday. The analysis firm said 79 million PCs were shipped worldwide in the first quarter -- the fewest number of shipments since the second quarter of 2009.

PC industry titans have tried to innovate themselves out of their sales slump, but recent attempts have failed. Ultrabooks, super-thin notebook computers, debuted to great fanfare in 2011. But sales disappointed, and firms quickly slashed their ultrabook sales forecasts.

In October 2012, Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500) debuted Windows 8, which received mixed reviews, and sales have been muted compared with past Windows launches.

Bob O'Donnell, a vice president at IDC, said in the company's report that "the Windows 8 launch not only failed to provide a positive boost to the PC market, but appears to have slowed the market."

He slammed WIndows 8's "radical changes" to the user interface, particularly the removal of the iconic start button, and intimated that the switch is confusing for customers.

"Microsoft will have to make some very tough decisions moving forward if it wants to help reinvigorate the PC market," O'Donnell said in the report.

Microsoft and its rivals felt the crunch in after-hours trading.

more

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1146454-worst-pc-sales-drop-in-history/
Share on other sites

This could be Linux's moment to pick up MS's tab in PC sales

It was stated by another member that the failure of Windows 8 prompted Dell to sell Alienwares with Ubuntu preinstalled, it's a worthy risk to assess any potential benefit even though the market for Linux games is growing, there needs to be that "killer app" to make that homerun. It'll happen but the execution has to be right for people to take notice.

The thing about Windows 8 wasn?t just [Microsoft's] distribution. As somebody who participates in the overall PC ecosystem, it?s totally great when faster wireless networks and standards come out, or when graphics get faster. Windows 8 was like this giant sadness. It just hurts everybody in the PC business. Rather than everybody being all excited to go buy a new PC, buying new software to run on it, we?ve had a 20+ percent decline in PC sales -- it?s like "holy cow that?s not what the new generation of the operating system is supposed to do." There?s supposed to be a 40 percent uptake, not a 20 percent decline, so that?s what really scares me. When I started using it I was like "oh my god..." I find [Windows 8] unusable.

:whistle:

I don't think Windows 8 is to blame, at least on the PC side. I think the main reason PC sales have dropped are smartphones, tablets, and the fact that PC hardware lasts longer now than 10 years ago. I bought my laptop in 2008 and aside from a dead battery, it's still good enough to run Windows 7/8. I plan on buying a tablet in the near future for convenience. If I want to watch videos on YouTube, I'd want to do it conveniently and I want to be able to move around while doing it. I can do it on my phone but a 4" screen isn't big enough for comfortable viewing.

  • Like 3

So, what is this article saying? They're pointing fingers every which direction here. What we're seeing a shifting market, something that's been happening for years.

Partially what the IDC is saying is true, PC last longer than they did 10 years ago. My desktop has been as is since circa 2007, yet runs Windows 8 like a champ.

I don't think Windows 8 is to blame, at least on the PC side. I think the main reason PC sales have dropped are smartphones, tablets, and the fact that PC hardware lasts longer now than 10 years ago. I bought my laptop in 2008 and aside from a dead battery, it's still good enough to run Windows 7/8. I plan on buying a tablet in the near future for convenience. If I want to watch videos on YouTube, I'd want to do it conveniently and I want to be able to move around while doing it. I can do it on my phone but a 4" screen isn't big enough for comfortable viewing.

You are so right. I use my phone for many of the things I once used a PC for. My tablet I use to watch movies and TV shows, something I once used my PC for. In fact, I rarely use my PC anymore. And like you said, the things last a long time now so I am good to for several years. I doubt I am alone either. That is not helping Microsoft's bottom line.

Windows 8 needed to compete with tablets while holding onto the desktop segment; unfortunately it did neither. Windows RT has significantly underperformed in the market place (the Surface RT and third-party offerings) and Windows 8 has been plagued with bad press. It's not a bad product but, like with Vista, once you build a bad reputation it's hard to shift it. Numerous major companies?including Dell, Samsung and Valve?have heavily criticised Windows 8 and users remain divided.

Is Windows 8 entirely to blame for the downturn? No, but it's a major factor. Now Microsoft needs to focus on Windows Blue and Windows 9, making sure to respond to criticism from users and critics.

Windows 8 needed to compete with tablets while holding onto the desktop segment; unfortunately it did neither. Windows RT has significantly underperformed in the market place (the Surface RT and third-party offerings) and Windows 8 has been plagued with bad press. It's not a bad product but, like with Vista, once you build a bad reputation it's hard to shift it. Numerous major companies?including Dell, Samsung and Valve?have heavily criticised Windows 8 and users remain divided.

Is Windows 8 entirely to blame for the downturn? No, but it's a major factor. Now Microsoft needs to focus on Windows Blue and Windows 9, making sure to respond to criticism from users and critics.

Microsoft should have picked up the slack others made and promoted the Hell out of the Surface RT. Personally, I think it's time for Microsoft to abandon some of these OEMs. They're inability to compete could be is a contributing factor to the declining market.

I'm not surprised. Windows 8 has nothing to do with it. My five year old PC still has plenty of power to meet all my needs. Hence, there is absolutely no reason why I should upgrade. Same with my laptops, and same for generally every consumer who has bought a PC over the last few years.

Perhaps Microsoft should make Windows 9 more resource hungry and force users to upgrade, like Apple does with Mac OS X. Just kidding, they won't.

You are so right. I use my phone for many of the things I once used a PC for. My tablet I use to watch movies and TV shows, something I once used my PC for. In fact, I rarely use my PC anymore.

Explains all those typos ... :shifty:

A lot of the article wants to point the blame at Windows 8. This is a contributing factor, but look at it that way, Windows ME and Vista both have/had some very serious negative feedback, did PC sales drop that much then because of word of mouth? However, many other factors play into this, mobile phones are on the rise, Dell/HP shakeup, poor PC designs, and the biggest thing of all, I think its partly due to less people needing to upgrade their current computer. PCs these days are not upgraded to new ones as often because the hardware specs are good enough now. This all can't be about Windows 8, look at the whole picture.

Windows 8 needed to compete with tablets while holding onto the desktop segment; unfortunately it did neither. Windows RT has significantly underperformed in the market place (the Surface RT and third-party offerings) and Windows 8 has been plagued with bad press. It's not a bad product but, like with Vista, once you build a bad reputation it's hard to shift it. Numerous major companies?including Dell, Samsung and Valve?have heavily criticised Windows 8 and users remain divided.

Is Windows 8 entirely to blame for the downturn? No, but it's a major factor. Now Microsoft needs to focus on Windows Blue and Windows 9, making sure to respond to criticism from users and critics.

I've started noticing, I'm doing more with my mobile devices, than with my PC nowadays too.

If you want to take that case farther, I have a room mate who uses nothing more than her iPhone.

A lot of the article wants to point the blame at Windows 8. This is a contributing factor, but look at it that way, Windows ME and Vista both have/had some very serious negative feedback, did PC sales drop that much then because of word of mouth? However, many other factors play into this, mobile phones are on the rise, Dell/HP shakeup, poor PC designs, and the biggest thing of all, I think its partly due to less people needing to upgrade their current computer. PCs these days are not upgraded to new ones as often because the hardware specs are good enough now. This all can't be about Windows 8, look at the whole picture.

Me and Vista were not in the situation where the market is at this time. Apple is a major influence when we look at their offerings and their sales. They've sold more Macs than in any other quarter in the worst economic climate. Me and Vista were in periods before the economic collapse where people were consumers at their peak in technology adoption.

Everyone was buying computers and getting involved. As stated earlier, phones act in place of the PC for basic function on the web. Windows 8 was not well recieved and has a stigma that is Metro. Compared to 8, Vista never forced users to "adapt" to functionality that wasn't necessary.

Microsoft acted out of impulse because of the success of Apple's iPad and they thought they could wrap around an interface for all devices by hitting multiple targets with one stone.

The sales reflect the outcome.

  • Like 2

Is Windows 8 entirely to blame for the downturn? No, but it's a major factor. Now Microsoft needs to focus on Windows Blue and Windows 9, making sure to respond to criticism from users and critics.

Yes! People don't buy new PCs because they don't have one all the time, nor because the one they had didn't perform well. They bought new ones because they perceived newer was cooler and could do new stuff. There's nothing new Windows 8 presented other than a touch-centric UI with limited lasting appeal, and limited usage scenarios.

It's really all about the software. The MS Core apps shipped with Windows 8 RTM were amateurish at best. Makes Linux apps look high quality. Disastrous. And slick high-end Modern UI Zune like client that synced Surface RT Tablets and Phones would have resonated with consumers. Instead, nothing. Everything is disconnected with nothing great to install or run on it. There's no "Runs better on ..." or "Designed for ..." Windows 8 applications.

The WP8 phones don't have the apps the others do, do not support the peripherals the others do. The Surface RT is the same plus just doesn't perform as reliably as the others do. Sometimes on the tablets you can't update all your app, you have to try, retry. That's just unacceptable for a tablet.

Yeah, there's lots of reasons including the economy but to say that the Windows 8 fiasco is not a major cause is total denial.

  • Like 5

The **** must have really hit the fan if even you posted something that could even be considered

as negative toward windows 8.

My reaction to that post:

VeP2Jay.gif

Where am I being negative? I've said nothing here I haven't said before.

EDIT: That gif is rather creepy...

Microsoft should have picked up the slack others made and promoted the Hell out of the Surface RT. Personally, I think it's time for Microsoft to abandon some of these OEMs.

Don't blame the OEMs. Just for kicks, tell me, how would you promote Surface RT to those considering an iPad or Android Tablet right now? Go for it, use bullet point, promote away, tell me why right now, Surface RT is the tablet anyone should buy. 1, 2, 3, go .... (make sure you cover performance, reliability, available applications, gaming, stability, ease-of-use):

Don't blame the OEMs. Just for kicks, tell me, how would you promote Surface RT to those considering an iPad or Android Tablet right now? Go for it, use bullet point, promote away, tell me why right now, Surface RT is the tablet anyone whould buy. 1, 2, 3, go .... (make sure you cover performance, reliability, available applications, gaming, stability, ease-of-use):

Personally, I'd start by publicly announcing Windows 8 "Blue". Something they should have done from the start.

A lot of the article wants to point the blame at Windows 8. This is a contributing factor, but look at it that way, Windows ME and Vista both have/had some very serious negative feedback, did PC sales drop that much then because of word of mouth? However, many other factors play into this, mobile phones are on the rise, Dell/HP shakeup, poor PC designs, and the biggest thing of all, I think its partly due to less people needing to upgrade their current computer. PCs these days are not upgraded to new ones as often because the hardware specs are good enough now. This all can't be about Windows 8, look at the whole picture.

All of those things have some impact. I will believe thy have more impact that the simple fact Windows 8 has no sex appeal when:

- Tablet sales meet or exceed PC sales.

- The situation remains the same when, if ever, MS gets decent Modern UI Apps, including the weak core apps.

MS thought they could force everyone to do things their way, because that works best for them, and it's just not working. People may in fact choose a tablet (and not a Windows tablet) in lieu of what MS is putting forth with their hybrid UI. People don't want to, "start over" nor "wait" for features and apps. There are alternatives if they can settle for a Tablet.

Just curious, how are Mac sales doing right now? Since iPad is still doing relatively well ...

Personally, I'd start by publicly announcing Windows 8 "Blue". Something they should have done from the start.

1) You have just conceded that Windows 8 is a failure and people are going to continue to not buy it and wait to see what "Blue" has to offer, and the expectations will be high and we all know it has relatively minor to moderate changes.

2) Your promo list is as sparse and Microsoft's is, basically empty. And keep this in mind, no one on Neowin is a bigger evangelist for Windows 8 than you, and your promo list is ........... That I believe, is the major problem and why Windows 8 is not helping PC sales.

the problem is not windows8 or what. mostly, people don't need PC when the tablets got enough options to do things. emails, news, internet, skype or chats, basic word processing / excel. then you don't need a pc anymore for most families. PCs need to reinvent themselves to do more. else they will be used only by people that need more, like video/audio/image editing, coders, etc.

All of those things have some impact. I will believe thy have more impact that the simple fact Windows 8 has no sex appeal when:

- Tablet sales meet or exceed PC sales.

- The situation remains the same when, if ever, MS gets decent Modern UI Apps, including the weak core apps.

MS thought they could force everyone to do things their way, because that works best for them, and it's just not working. People may in fact choose a tablet (and not a Windows tablet) in lieu of what MS is putting forth with their hybrid UI. People don't want to, "start over" nor "wait" for features and apps. There are alternatives if they can settle for a Tablet.

Just curious, how are Mac sales doing right now? Since iPad is still doing relatively well ...

1) You have just conceded that Windows 8 is a failure and people are going to continue to not buy it and wait to see what "Blue" has to offer, and the expectations will be high and we all know it has relatively minor to moderate changes.

2) Your promo list is as sparse and Microsoft's is, basically empty. And keep this in mind, no one on Neowin is a bigger evangelist for Windows 8 than you, and your promo list is ........... That I believe, is the major problem and why Windows 8 is not helping PC sales.

Windows 8 is hardly a failure. Announcing updates hardly concedes "failure".

Windows 8 is hardly a failure. Announcing updates hardly concedes "failure".

failure is relative. relative to the current climate and the relative youthfulness of Windows 8, promoting basically "we're fixing" it, is conceding failure given the expectations of such a significant (as promoted by MS) upgrade.

failure is relative. relative to the current climate and the relative youthfulness of Windows 8, promoting basically "we're fixing" it, is conceding failure given the expectations of such a significant (as promoted by MS) upgrade.

Like you said, "failure" is relative. "fixing" denotes a broken product, "improving" would be a better word. Updates aren't a bad thing, everyone else updates their products, so why is "Blue" denoting a bad thing?

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Posts

    • Dude, im talking about simply disable it from settings app. Because of the eu regulation, you could disable it here for years.
    • One big question about Mars was answered thanks to Einstein's 100 year old theory by Sayan Sen Image via DepositPhotos Scientists at the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have calculated how time passes on Mars compared with Earth, adding detail to how timekeeping would need to work beyond Earth’s orbit. The study, published in The Astronomical Journal, found that clocks on Mars run an average of 477 microseconds, or millionths of a second, faster per day than clocks on Earth. A microsecond is one millionth of a second, a very small unit used in precise scientific timing systems such as atomic clocks, which measure time using consistent atomic behavior. This difference is not constant. Because Mars moves around the Sun in a non-circular path (an eccentric orbit, meaning its distance from the Sun changes over time instead of staying fixed) and is affected by gravity from other bodies, the daily difference can vary by as much as 226 microseconds over a Martian year. The study also identifies smaller repeating changes of about 40 microseconds per day linked to synodic cycles (repeating periods that describe how planets line up with each other as they orbit the Sun from different positions). These longer patterns affect how time differences slowly rise and fall. To make these estimates, researchers compared Mars with Earth and the Moon. The work looks at relativistic proper time (the time actually measured by a clock depending on its speed and the strength of gravity where it is located, as described in Einstein’s relativity). This shows that each world has its own slightly different “rate” of time. This becomes more important as space missions expand into cislunar space (the region between Earth and the Moon) and toward Mars. On Earth, time systems rely on atomic clocks and satellites, which stay closely synchronized for navigation and communication. The study is based on Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity, which shows that time is affected by gravity and motion. Stronger gravity makes clocks run slower, while weaker gravity makes them run faster. “The time is just right for the Moon and Mars,” said NIST physicist Bijunath Patla. “This is the closest we have been to realizing the science fiction vision of expanding across the solar system.” A day on Mars is about 40 minutes longer than on Earth, and a Martian year lasts 687 Earth days. But the main question is not just about days and years, but how fast time itself passes. An atomic clock placed on Mars would function normally, but compared with one on Earth, the two would slowly drift apart due to differences in gravity and motion. This requires careful calculation of what is similar to a time-zone difference across planets. Researchers modeled Mars using a reference surface and included gravitational effects from the Sun, Earth, the Moon, and other planets. This includes a multi-body gravitational system (often described as a three-body or four-body problem, where predicting motion becomes difficult because multiple large objects all pull on each other at the same time through gravity). Mars also follows a Keplerian orbit (an idealized elliptical orbit based on simple gravitational laws that assume smooth motion, before adding real-world disturbances from other bodies). In addition, the researchers accounted for solar tides (small changes in gravitational force caused by the Sun that slightly distort planetary motion and timing, especially in systems involving Earth and the Moon). These combined effects are described as relativistic proper-time offsets (small but measurable differences in elapsed time between locations caused by gravity and motion), which must be included when comparing clocks across planets. “But for Mars, that’s not the case. Its distance from the Sun and its eccentric orbit make the variations in time larger. A three-body problem is extremely complicated. Now we’re dealing with four: the Sun, Earth, the Moon and Mars,” Patla explained. “The heavy lifting was more challenging than I initially thought.” Although the differences are extremely small, they matter for navigation and communication systems that depend on precise timing. Even modern networks on Earth, such as mobile systems, rely on timing accuracy at very small fractions of a second. Communication between Earth and Mars currently takes about four to 24 minutes or more depending on planetary positions, meaning signals are not real-time. A shared and accurate time system could help future missions reduce confusion in navigation and data exchange. “If you get synchronization, it will be almost like real-time communication without any loss of information. You don’t have to wait to see what happens,” Patla said. Researchers note that fully developed interplanetary communication networks are still far in the future. However, understanding how time behaves across planets helps prepare for those systems. “It may be decades before the surface of Mars is covered by the tracks of wandering rovers, but it is useful now to study the issues involved in establishing navigation systems on other planets and moons,” said Neil Ashby. “Like current global navigation systems like GPS, these systems will depend on accurate clocks, and the effects on clock rates can be analyzed with the help of Einstein’s general theory of relativity.” Patla added that the results also help improve understanding of time itself under relativity. “It's good to know for the first time what is happening on Mars timewise. Nobody knew that before. It improves our knowledge of the theory itself, the theory of how clocks tick and relativity,” he said. Source: NIST, IOPscience This article was generated with some help from AI and reviewed by an editor. Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, this material is used for the purpose of news reporting. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
    • TeraCopy 4.0 Build 26 by Razvan Serea TeraCopy is a compact program designed to copy and move files at the maximum possible speed, also providing you with a lot of features. Copy files faster. TeraCopy uses dynamically adjusted buffers to reduce seek times. Asynchronous copy speeds up file transfer between two physical hard drives. Pause and resume transfers. Pause copy process at any time to free up system resources and continue with a single click. Error recovery. In case of copy error, TeraCopy will try several times and in the worse case just skips the file, not terminating the entire transfer. Interactive file list. TeraCopy shows failed file transfers and lets you fix the problem and recopy only problem files. Shell integration. TeraCopy can completely replace Explorer copy and move functions, allowing you work with files as usual. TeraCopy is free for non-commercial use only. For commercial use you need to buy a license. The paid version of the program includes the following features: Copy/move to your favorite folders. Save reports as HTML and CSV files. Select files with the same extension/folder. Remove the selected files from the copy queue. TeraCopy 4.0 Build 26 changelog: Added support for receiving files via the LocalSend protocol. Improved exception handling and automated bug report upload. Fixed several minor bugs and small memory leaks. Build 26 (June 24) Fixed a rare exception when a transfer completed. Features added since version 3.17: Enhanced speed graph. New multi-threaded copy engine. Support for copying to multiple targets. Queue system for managing multiple copy operations. Support for receiving files via the LocalSend protocol. TeraCopy entry in the modern Windows Explorer context menu. Integrated toolbar in the title bar. Why receive LocalSend transfers with TeraCopy? Handle file conflicts: Skip, overwrite, or rename files when a file with the same name already exists. LocalSend always creates another copy, which can waste time and disk space, especially when resuming an interrupted transfer. Filter unwanted files: Apply ignore lists or remove files manually before accepting a transfer, so unnecessary files are not downloaded. Better performance on fast networks: In tests over a 10 Gbps connection, TeraCopy received files several times faster than the standard LocalSend app on Windows. Download: TeraCopy 4.0 Build 26 | 14.5 MB (Freeware, paid upgrade available) View: TeraCopy Website | Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • Briefly used Turbo Pascal (and Turbo C++) in 97 and soon after that I bought PC magazine that included a full version of Delphi 2. I still use Delphi today, some 29 years later.
    • Age of Empires Mobile comes to PC, here's how to carry over progress from your phone by Ivan Jenic Image: YouTube/Microsoft Microsoft just released Age of Empires Mobile for PC. The game, officially called Age of Empires Mobile: PC Edition, is available for free on Steam and Microsoft Store, almost two years after its initial release for handheld devices. Age of Empires is one of those franchises that entire generations grew up with. The original came out in 1997, and immediately got people hooked to building civilizations and crushing their enemies on the battlefield. However, the franchise today is a far cry from its roots, as Age of Empires Mobile is, well, a game optimized for handheld devices, and not a classic RTS title we’ve all loved for years. And, of course, it includes in-game purchases. The PC version is still a mobile game at its core, but it’s been optimized for desktop play. There’s mouse control, full keyboard compatibility, and a refined UI. Microsoft also refreshed the visuals with some 4k textures, so the game should look better on larger screens. The game supports Crossplay, so you can switch between your phone, tablet, and PC without losing anything. But linked progress doesn’t come out of the box, as you have to enable it first. Here’s how to link your progress: On your mobile device, open Age of Empires Mobile. Go to Settings (Gear icon) > Account. Select Bind Account and choose a sign-in option. Once you enable account binding, sign in on PC using the same method, and your progress will be accessible across all your devices. Xbox Game Pass subscribers also get a bonus reward pack on PC, which includes: 1 Monthly Pass Token 1 Custom Resource Chest 10 Universal 60-Minute Speed-Ups 1,000 Empire Coins Exclusive Player Portrait Frame You can find more info about Age of Empires Mobile: PC Edition, as well as download links, on the Age of Empires official website.
  • Recent Achievements

    • One Year In
      Philsl earned a badge
      One Year In
    • Dedicated
      Scoobystu earned a badge
      Dedicated
    • First Post
      Tom Schmidt earned a badge
      First Post
    • One Month Later
      D0nn13 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Rookie
      +ChiefOfNeo went up a rank
      Rookie
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      458
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      177
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      124
    4. 4
      Michael Scrip
      79
    5. 5
      Xenon
      76
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!