PC Sales down 14% in first quarter YoY

[frozentundra123456]

Correct. MS doesn't seem to understand that their platform won *because* it was open at the user level.

Gaming without Windows was once unthinkable; now not only is Valve publicly floating a future on Linux, but a large part of the market wants it to happen. This is just one of many rather huge reactions against the MS move.

I think it would be great to be able to game on linux, but it seems rather far fetched that it will actually happen to a wide variety of games. Sometimes Valve does some great things, but sometimes it also seems like they just throw as many ideas as they can at the wall and see what sticks.

 

[ShreddedWheat]

I built a new PC this year (2.5 years since last build)
Bought 2 laptops (1 cheap refurb lenovo and Acer light gaming laptop)

I bought all mine prior to release of Windows 8 (tried RC it sucked). Didn't want to wait and get stuck with Win8

Besides MS screwing the pooch with Windows 8 most PCs are holding their own for word processing, surfing, and light gaming....no need to really upgrade unless you are a gamer.

my 2 cents

 

[God Mode]

Entry level stuff sucks and the mid-range to decent stuff is overpriced and goes over my budget.

$300-400 for a entry level laptop. Add a 1080p screen and a discrete gpu and its suddenly almost $1000 or more. F that.

 

[AtenRa]

I'm using Windows 8 on my 3 rigs. I paid an extra $5/rig for Start8. Problem solved AND I have the newest OS.

I use the ClassicShell, its free

 

[SPBHM]

I'm using the default start menu.
I've just deleted most of the default tiles and replaced with things I use (shortcuts), also I was hardly a big fan of the start menu as it was, windows works really well with the keyboard shortcuts (like winkey+r), and it's easy to add shortcuts to the desktop, task bar, use right click... whatever, it was so easy to adapt... it's simply not enough to justify avoiding the OS at any cost... and as seen above, there are other options...

to be honest it would have been a lot better if MS by default gave the option of using something closer to the old UI, like you can use the classic windows theme on 7... but...

 

[R0H1T]

For what its worth I did state this fact in those ARM/AMD vs Intel threads ! Another thing of note is that win8 is not one of the main reasons why there's this trend of PC shipments declining, I know folks who've bought win8 & didn't revert/downgrade to win7 after a while also there are other forums as well that support this theory. The fact is those who wanted a new PC bought it irrespective of win7/win8 conundrum however a large majority of people would get a brand new mobile/tablet rather than an underwhelming, overpriced PC !

 

[ShintaiDK]

For what its worth I did state this fact in those ARM/AMD vs Intel threads ! Another thing of note is that win8 is not one of the main reasons why there's this trend of PC shipments declining, I know folks who've bought win8 & didn't revert/downgrade to win7 after a while also there are other forums as well that support this theory. The fact is those who wanted a new PC bought it irrespective of win7/win8 conundrum however a large majority of people would get a brand new mobile/tablet rather than an underwhelming, overpriced PC !

Because a 499$ iPad offers so much better value...right?

*falls of chair laughing*

New trend is high priced tablets and smartphones are now in massive headwinds. people refuse, atleast in europe and asia, to pay the 200% margin prices anymore on weak outdated ARM devices.

 

[R0H1T]

Because a 499$ iPad offers so much better value...right?

*falls of chair laughing*

New trend is high priced tablets and smartphones are now in massive headwinds. people refuse, atleast in europe and asia, to pay the 200% margin prices anymore on weak outdated ARM devices.

That isn't the point, it's simply that of the top 3 reasons people are ditching PC's win8 isn't one of'em !

edit : You'll be glad to know that there are quite a few small(er) Chinese companies that provide 40~80% performance of a high end ARM device at a fraction of the cost !

 

[moonbogg]

This is true. No-one wants a new PC with Windows 8, unless it's a touch-enabled laptop.

It's the albatross that's dragging down the entire PC market.

When I bought my wife a laptop and realized that windows 8 was on it and tried to use it, I damn near returned that thing to the store since I considered it defective. Microsoft trying to push that garbage isn't helping anyone, especially them.

 

[ShintaiDK]

That isn't the point, it's simply that of the top 3 reasons people are ditching PC's win8 isn't one of'em !

edit : You'll be glad to know that there are quite a few small(er) Chinese companies that provide 40~80% performance of a high end ARM device at a fraction of the cost !

And you can buy a PC for 199$.

 

[ShintaiDK]

When I bought my wife a laptop and realized that windows 8 was on it and tried to use it, I damn near returned that thing to the store since I considered it defective. Microsoft trying to push that garbage isn't helping anyone, especially them.

Thats the key issue.

Average Joe simply gives up there. And this is what OEMs and MS battles over because OEMs knows exactly that Windows 8 is a huge reason to why people dont buy a new PC. And MS keeps being stubborn and just say users needs to adapt.

This is one of the few times a giant can be removed. By doing a flat facehit into the ground by itself.

 

[R0H1T]

And you can buy a PC for 199$.

Sorry didn't get you here, are you even trying to be funny :\

 

[Torn Mind]

I personally will be avoiding Windows 8. The difficulty in going from the start screen to the desktop is not deserving of money from anyone, even with third-party solutions. And corporate customers sure as hell don't care about their desktops adapted to the latest trends. Usability and not having to change the way they setup their computers is more important to them.

Tablets are still fragile toys, imo. But they're handy because of the form factor and convenience, not because they provide a snappy experience.

 

[Torn Mind]

Sorry didn't get you here, are you even trying to be funny :\

Chrome OS on a Celeron.

 

[meloz]

Yes, something to remember is that most of the Android tablet sales are in the sub $150-200 segment. Tens of small local brands which most have not heard of (unless you trawl ebay), likely assembled in the same one or two factories in China. Soon enough sub $100 tablets will dominate.

Apple is the only company which has had success in selling an expensive tablet, and they do not just sell you a tablet they sell an entire ecosystem.

Back to PCs: If the sales continue to fall after two quarters of Haswell launch, then Intel might have to rationalize prices and make the performance / $ so lucrative to trigger an upgrade cycle. It is not as if Intel has inherently bad products. The basic concept behind ultrabooks is also sound, it is just that right now they are charging very high price for CPU + chipset.

The market sweetspot is changing, more and more consumers want lower priced products as absolute performance gets 'good enough' for them, whereas Intel is trying its hardest to sell higher priced, higher margin stuff. After some tug of war, Intel will relent.

And hopefully by that time Microsoft would also have accepted they will never make it in tablets and phones, and restore Windows 8 to normal desktop / workstation interface. Right now -for people using Windows 7- buying a new PC with Windows 8 is a downgrade not an upgrade.

 

[R0H1T]

I personally will be avoiding Windows 8. The difficulty in going from the start screen to the desktop is not deserving of money from anyone, even with third-party solutions. And corporate customers sure as hell don't care about their desktops adapted to the latest trends. Usability and not having to change the way they setup their computers is more important to them.

Tablets are still fragile toys, imo. But they're handy because of the form factor and convenience, not because they provide a snappy experience.

This is just hilarious when you consider how complicated Android can be & yet it's still selling like a hotcake even to this day, Android sales(worldwide) & market share is still growing !

The one poster before you said he thought the laptop is "defective" because it has win8 on it, that's just stupid you know cause I've never seen people return their phones/tablets because they couldn't figure out the complicated phone OS !

Its hypocritical of people to say they won't put an effort into learning how to workaround win8 limitations & at the same time enjoy their win8/Android phones ! But then again that's how the world goes I guess :hmm:

edit : As far as your situation is concerned, the desktop is just one click away & you can disable metro apps even without paying 0.99$ for it !

 

[R0H1T]

Chrome OS on a Celeron.

Well I was under the impression that most didn't consider this "cloud OS" machine as PC, guess I was wrong !

 

[Atreidin]

This is just hilarious when you consider how complicated Android can be & yet it's still selling like a hotcake even to this day, Android sales(worldwide) & market share is still growing !

The one poster before you said he thought the laptop is "defective" because it has win8 on it, that's just stupid you know cause I've never seen people return their phones/tablets because they couldn't figure out the complicated phone OS !

Its hypocritical of people to say they won't put an effort into learning how to workaround win8 limitations & at the same time enjoy their win8/Android phones ! But then again that's how the world goes I guess :hmm:

edit : As far as your situation is concerned, the desktop is just one click away & you can disable metro apps even without paying 0.99$ for it !

I don't know why you feel the need to be a white knight for Windows 8 but lots of people hate it. Pulling a Microsoft and saying that they hate it because they are stupid and lazy isn't going to do anything but help you make yourself feel superior to them.

 

[R0H1T]

I don't know why you feel the need to be a white knight for Windows 8 but lots of people hate it. Pulling a Microsoft and saying that they hate it because they are stupid and lazy isn't going to do anything but help you make yourself feel superior to them.

Why don't you think that win8 is worth that extra 5~10 mins of your time ? People spend hours customizing their phones, granted not necessarily in one go, likewise desktop users also take time to setup their win7/xp machines ! Its not like I'm defending MS here but I do like to point out that not having time to customize an OS just because you don't like its GUI, metro is just an overlay/addition to explorer shell not a replacement, is rather "lazy" as you rightly said & seems like a defensive prop !

 

[grimpr]

Even Apple didnt dared to IOSify its MacOSX line of desktop operating systems, it keeps the different operating systems separate, that outrageous thing that Microsoft did, taking a crap at the 100% of pc desktop users because it thinks it knows better was an arrogant & disastrous move, the market and the people punish them and it shows, Windows 8 is a disaster and will continue to be unless MS brings a fresh pc desktop back keeping Metro as an option or a separate OSand gets rid of Windows Store.

 

[R0H1T]

Even Apple didnt dared to IOSify its MacOSX line of desktop operating systems, it keeps the different operating systems separate, that outrageous thing that Microsoft did, taking a crap at the 100% of pc desktop users because it thinks it knows better was an arrogant & disastrous move, the market and the people punish them and it shows, Windows 8 is a disaster and will continue to be unless MS brings a fresh pc desktop back and gets rid of Windows Store.

What makes you think that win8 is any different to win7/vista ? I said earlier that metro is just a UI overlay, its not a shell replacement, & it(metro apps) can be easily disabled by turning UAC off ! As far as the start screen is concerned you can try third party alternatives, its not like windows default apps(AV/media player) are all that popular, or just put the shortcuts on desktop!

 

[grimpr]

What makes you think that win8 is any different to win7/vista ? I said earlier that metro is just a UI overlay, its not a shell replacement, & it can be easily be disabled by turning UAC off !

Oh yes it is, since its forced without even asking at you, microsoft could easily separate the Metrified OS as a separate ISO targeted at the devices its designed for or could easily gave a choise for the consumer during installation time, instead of that it force feeds its crap into the consumer.
Its Microsoft copying Apple poorly so first and taking a crap at the classical pc desktop second, MS wants to become a vertical company just like Apple and just fails at that.

 

[R0H1T]

Oh yes it is, since its forced without even asking at you, microsoft could easily separate the Metrified OS as a separate ISO targeted at the devices its designed for or could easily gave a choise for the consumer during installation time, instead of that it force feeds its crap into the consumer.

Its funny how people complained like this about UAC in vista & then just learned to live with it because it was better for overall system security ! Not saying that metro is a necessary feature but if you don't like you do not have to live with it btw FYI AFAIK its just there for you to access your metro phone apps on a desktop cause that one feature isn't present on any desktop OS till now !

Its Microsoft copying Apple poorly so first and taking a crap at the classical pc desktop second, MS wants to become a vertical company just like Apple and just fails at that.

This is because MS is in deep shit & if they don't make money from their OS biz they're screwed for good unlike Apple ! This win8 is just a transition to a more unified OS that'll soon be unveiled with win9 as & when its launched. What I'm doing here is giving you MS' perspective not because I work for them, cause I don't really, but rather how precariously they're positioned if this doesn't go as planned for them !

 

[grimpr]

I dont have the need to be abused by Microsofts failed practices and arrogant decisions, i'm no masochist, unless it brings back a fresh pc desktop experience with Windows 9 i wont even bother with them anymore since they become increasingly irrelevant, they dont innovate anymore or take chances, the company is relegated to Office status and symbolism. Windows 7 will stay for a long time to come as the premier win32 operating system of choise with the gradual transition to the Linux World on Ubuntu/Unity & Android.

 

[AtenRa]

Win 7 still selling, the OS(win 8) is not that much responsible for the decline of PC sales.

Edit: Win 8 + ClassicShell (no Metro UI on startup, directly loading windows to the desktop)