PC sales down. Would you say Win8 contributed?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22103079

It cites many reasons for the fall in sales of including the introduction of Windows 8.

Would you say that this was a significant factor? It will be adopted sooner or later as PCs get replaced. Maybe there will another version soon like what happened with Vista quickly being replaced with Windows 7.
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Comments

  • flagpoleflagpole Posts: 44,641
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    i doubt it's significant. I just don't think the majority of people know or care.

    I don't think windows ME even affected PC sales.
  • TheBigMTheBigM Posts: 13,125
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    Windows 8 hasn't made people rush out and buy new PCs. So whilst it hasn't mitigated the decline in PC sales, it hasn't contributed to it.

    The iPad has contributed to it as people switch away from laptops to simpler computing devices. Part of the reason is that operating systems are mature (like a lot of software). The advances being made aren't as big as they used to be in the past so they aren't driving sales so much, new features are nice but they aren't revolutionary.

    Similarly, on the hardware front, whilst progress in raw number-crunching capability has continued apace, people have sufficient computing power for "ordinary" activities and it's only intensive activities like 3D, CAD, video editing, games that make use of the new power. This all means that people are able to stretch out their computer hardware to last much longer than it used to.

    My laptop from 2008 feels pretty sprightly despite being almost 5 years old now, whereas trying to use a 2002-era PC in 2007 would have felt ancient.

    It's a pretty natural thing to happen IMO, we will eventually start to see it happen in other markets such as phones/tablets in a few years. It's already happened in the games console market where they stretched out this last generation a lot longer because it takes a lot more computing power to achieve fairly small experience improvements.
  • barbelerbarbeler Posts: 23,827
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    Perhaps it's because they aren't as competitively priced as previously. In more recent years I've always bought a Medion computer from Aldi, but they don't seem to sell them any more. I'm also using a 19" monitor that I bought from there years ago. It's a square screen, so looks far larger than an equivalent widescreen. I have absolutely no interest whatsoever in getting a touchscreen PC. It seems a retrograde step to me and utterly pointless.
  • bigpodbigpod Posts: 1,016
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    I know of a a number of people who have decided not to purchase new PC's precisely because they cannot stand windows 8. I advise on PC purchases almost daily, and it is a bigger issue than any I have previously known. So yes, it is.

    BTW, I have been involved in online consultation with MS about whether this is an issue - they clearly know they have a potential problem - I am intregued to see when and how they will address it.
  • JeffG1JeffG1 Posts: 15,243
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    bigpod wrote: »
    I know of a a number of people who have decided not to purchase new PC's precisely because they cannot stand windows 8.
    Do they not know that you can buy a PC without a pre-installed operating system, and that it only takes a few clicks to install the one of their choice (e.g. Windows 7)?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4,807
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    I think its all down to tablets and mobiles, I know of a few people that have iphones etc, that have either got rid of or dont use there computers. Why fire up a computer to post on facebook, when you can do all that from an iphone. Plus the cost of tablets are coming down considerably. Why pay 400 for a half decent laptop, when you can get a tablet for as little as 50
  • stud u likestud u like Posts: 42,100
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    Windows 8 takes some getting used to but once you get used to it, it becomes second nature.

    I don't have Windows 8 but a friend mine does and I am forever fixing his computer as his girlfriend keeps adding nasty things to it.
  • NewWorldManNewWorldMan Posts: 4,890
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    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22103079

    It cites many reasons for the fall in sales of including the introduction of Windows 8.

    Would you say that this was a significant factor?

    Mac sales are down as well. PC sales would have been down even if Win 8 had been well-received I think. Maybe just by a smaller amount.

    I guess there are a lot of people who only really used PCs (and Macs) for the types of thing they can now do on tablets and phones.
  • flagpoleflagpole Posts: 44,641
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    Mac sales are down as well. PC sales would have been down even if Win 8 had been well-received I think. Maybe just by a smaller amount.

    I guess there are a lot of people who only really used PCs (and Macs) for the types of thing they can now do on tablets and phones.

    i think there is some truth in that.

    it's not a direct replacement obviously. but buying a tablet, and they have just become much more affordable may sort of extend the life of your desktop laptop. and there's only so much money to go around.
  • MustabusterMustabuster Posts: 5,973
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    Personally I like the Metro UI look of Windows 8. I had a chance to work with it pre-release when I was doing Windows Phone 8 stuff. It didn't really feel seamless, like an extra UI shell on top of Windows 7. However I do understand how divisive it can be. It is a bit of a paradigm and I reckon some people are holding off until others test the water.
  • cnbcwatchercnbcwatcher Posts: 56,681
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    I wonder what Mac sales are like?
  • tealadytealady Posts: 26,262
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    Windows 8 takes some getting used to but once you get used to it, it becomes second nature.

    I don't have Windows 8 but a friend mine does and I am forever fixing his computer as his girlfriend keeps adding nasty things to it.
    Oh, blame the girlfriend!

    I think people are buying tablets instead of an additional pc, based on my straw poll. Cheaper and portable.
  • d'@ved'@ve Posts: 45,452
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    I wonder what Mac sales are like?

    Yes, listing the Mac sales performance would have allowed a more meaningful comparison but as it is, we have no real idea whether Windows 8 is the problem or not. If Apple released a new version of their Mac O/S last year, the comparison would be even better (but I don't keep up with matters Mac).

    My guess is that other factors caused the bulk of the decline but that Windows 8 failed to spark the usual sales boost expected from a new O/S, so things are a bit worse than they would have been with Windows 8 less Metro, but not as bad as if Microsoft had released nothing.
  • NewWorldManNewWorldMan Posts: 4,890
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    I wonder what Mac sales are like?

    I saw another report saying they are 7% down.

    "They also blamed Windows 8 for slowing down the PC market business. I don’t know how Windows 8 caused 7.5% decline in Apple Mac sales."
  • John259John259 Posts: 28,327
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    In the US, meanwhile, Apple maintained a position in the top five, ahead of Toshiba and Lenovo, with 1.7 million devices shipped, up from 1.5 million in 2012. This gave it a market share of 11.6 percent. These figures do not include iPads, showing the firm's Mac range is performing strongly.
    - http://www.v3.co.uk/v3-uk/news/2260847/pc-market-plummets-as-hp-and-acer-suffer-but-apple-on-the-rise

    Obviously I've no idea which reports of Apple's PC sales are the more accurate, perhaps it depends on exactly which devices and which countries are included or excluded.
  • Philip WalesPhilip Wales Posts: 6,373
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    I think at the moment, games which normally push the PC market have hit a plato, so there's less need to get the latest PC every other year or so.

    Secondly the Tablet market must of made a difference as has be said and maybe people are trying out Macs after having bought a iPad?

    Third, I wonder how many people are now building their own PC or least upgrading instead of buying new.
  • barbelerbarbeler Posts: 23,827
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    I think the main reason has to be that people simply don't have as much money to throw around, so are making their PCs last longer.

    Previously, adding an extra 2GB of memory might have made a big difference, as did ever larger hard disks. It has now reached the stage where computers are as fast as most people would ever need and with hard disks that are hardly ever half filled.

    Most people buy the biggest monitor they can afford, so it makes little sense to settle for the tiny screens of phones or tablets. It is a mistake to assume that people use them only for social networking, as professional software such as MS Office and Photoshop still sells, in spite of the outrageously high prices.
  • MassiveDynamicsMassiveDynamics Posts: 661
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    One of the reasons for Mac sales being down is Apple discontinued the old iMac immediately when they brought out the latest model then found they couldn't actually make the new model because they hadn't perfected the welding technique for mass production so had nothing to sell and it took months for them to catch up. Only recently has it been immediately available.

    Apple had to stop selling the Mac Pro in Europe by 1st March because it was no longer legal despite having a couple of years warning.

    Mac laptop/desktop computers are just a sideshow for Apple (15% of Apple's sales by value) so I guess they care more about the iOS devices.
  • koantemplationkoantemplation Posts: 101,293
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    Windows 8 is definitely putting me off buying a new Laptop.

    It seems to be the worst of both Win7 and a touch screen operating system.

    I prefer Win7 at the moment.

    What I want from a new Op Sys, is faster operations and less memory usage, not cosmetic changes.
  • Martin BlankMartin Blank Posts: 1,689
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    I really don't understand the hate for Windows 8.

    I've just bought a new rig after 4 years of Vista. (Got 7 on my Laptop). Windows 8 actually seems quite refreshing. You just have an 'optional' launch pad style gui to launch apps from. You can always click to your regular desktop, you just have a 'live' apps screen instead of the start menu.

    Works really well. Simplified, yes, but doesn't make you feel like a speshul - like using a MAC does. What's the problem?
  • TheBigMTheBigM Posts: 13,125
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    What I want from a new Op Sys, is faster operations and less memory usage, not cosmetic changes.

    Windows 8 does run faster and consume fewer resources than Windows 7.

    It is not just cosmetic changes either, they created a whole new runtime for the apps with features like sandboxing, they created a curated appstore and vastly improved cloud services like SkyDrive.

    They made it much easier to reset Windows than using recovery partitions or discs through the new refresh and reset features.

    There are other innovations they have created which we don't benefit from yet such as ReFS which debuted in Windows 8 Server and will eventually make it down to the client desktop.
  • IvanIVIvanIV Posts: 30,301
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    People want tablets, that's a hot commodity at the moment. They get higher priority. New computer later or never. If you use your computer for browsing and playing media, a tablet can do it quite well. Not everybody creates something on their computer. Also W7 is too good an OS, there's no need to upgrade.
  • Pink KnightPink Knight Posts: 24,773
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    I think at the moment, games which normally push the PC market have hit a plato, so there's less need to get the latest PC every other year or so.

    I think its unfair to blame Greek philosophers. Its as others have said, sort of a mobile phone type situation.

    People who have/need them are not buying at the moment. As the one they have is good enough.
    As with mobile phones there will always be some who want the latest. So there will always be sales.
    Plus there are now alternatives to go pose about with that fit into manbags.
    I will wait while Windows 8 goes away hopefully though.
  • LyricalisLyricalis Posts: 57,958
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    People are skint and companies are trying to keep costs down.
  • James2001James2001 Posts: 73,430
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    Whatever's causing it, I don't think the dreadfulness of Windows 8 is helping. Microsoft will never admit it though!
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