A report by the International Data Corporation (IDC) cites the end of support for Windows XP, the launch of Windows 10 and a late Skylake launch (Intel’s latest line of processors) as some of the reasons for the 10.6% decline in PC shipments during the final quarter of 2015.
Brands like HP and Dell had a hard year with the IDC reporting that shipments from both brands fell 5.9% toward the end of 2015.
Conversely, Apple saw a 6.2% increase in shipments during 2015 thanks in part to the release of a new, thinner, Macbook and holiday sales that gave the Cupertino-based company a 12.7% share of the PC market in the US.
“Even as mainstream desktop and notebooks see their lifetimes stretched ever longer, Apple’s emergence as a top 5 global PC vendor in 2015 shows that there can be strong demand for innovative, even premium-priced systems that put user experience first”, said IDC Worldwide PC Tracker Research Manager, Jay Chou in a statement.
The Europe, Middle East and Africa region witnessed yet another year-on-year decline in sales. According to the IDC the decline was cushioned by the launch of new products running Windows 10.
That said, the IDC also cited the launch of Windows 10 as a reason for the drop in PC sales as consumers would much rather upgrade a PC for free than have to buy a new one. As Windows 10 provides a noticeable performance boost on older hardware – something we’ve noticed here at the htxt.africa offices with our own computers – that comes as no surprise.
Another reason for the decline in PC shipments to Africa may be the fact that projects which distributed laptops to school learners, such as One Laptop Per Child are no longer running. This, coupled with a turbulent economic climate, does not bode well for PC manufacturers going into the new year.
Whether 2016 will prove to be better in terms of PC sales remains to be seen, but if a free upgrade to Windows 10 stopped people from buying a new PC and affected the global market as much as it did, 2016 could be a hard slog.
[Source – IDC] [Image CC by 2.0 – youngthousands]
