Windows 10 PC sales boost? Don't hold your breath, say analysts Despite this year's release of Windows 10, notebook PC shipments are not going to see an increase over last year. This according to analysts with ABI Research, who project that shipments will be flat compared to 2014. The entire portable market, which includes Chromebooks, ultraportables (such as the MacBook Air), netbooks, …
Considering one thing and another, I can't say that I'm surprised.
The first consideration is how suppliers were stung over Windows 8.x. Yes, they did sell some but the sales were hardly spectacular and the fact that it is still possible to find PC builders out there who are prepared to install Windows 7 seems to confirm that. In fact, consider the huge numbers of Windows 8.x licenses were shipped for installation onto new PCs and you can see why they are less keen to put W10 on anything.
Secondly, consider that W10 is being shipped FoC. It is an extra step for suppliers to reload their stock with W10 so it makes more sense to leave W7 or W8.x where it is and let the consumer do the donkey work.
That's before we even get to the negative press that W10 has been getting over privacy issues, the compulsory update regime and the various faulty patches that have been a feature of the last couple of weeks since it was released. If that is a sufficient turn-off for potential buyers (which it could well be), it could mean that W10 could be a bigger failure than W8 ever was, no matter what the MicroShills say about it.
Wait and see seems to be the answer to most questions right now...
My 2010 Sony is still going strong, upgraded through 8 and 8.1 to 10. I like 10, but some things (Start Menu - All Apps and OneDrive, for example) are a step backwards, compared to Windows 8.1, but otherwise it is looking good.
Waiting for the company to pull their finger out and upgrade Trend Micro, so that I can upgrade my Surface Pro 3.
I actually installed Win 10 on a virtual machine today to take a quick look.
Grats Microsoft on bringing to my PC all the shit I hate about Android which stops me using it for anything serious, stops me ever putting my real name in Android device and stops me ever buying anything from their store which would establish a money trail to my personal details.
Additionally like Win 8 it had me reaching for a hammer because after inserting a CD it tells me to tap on the screen. Constant in my face reminders that I'm using something designed for hardware I don't have.
The only sales Win 10 is going to boost is books on linux.
Is to stop sales of Windows 7,8 & 8.1 through the likes of Dell, HP, ASUS etc.
When W10 is the only game in town they'll be free to swan off in Vacation letting the users tough it out.
Until then as one poster has already said, the more savvy ones will buy their new hardware with the OS of their choice already installed and stick one or more fingers up at MS & their latest little darling OS.
Like a certain Mr T Pott (one of the scribes here) has said, I will not be installing Windows 10 on any bit of hardware I control.
After foisting Vista late and not very functional onto the world, then getting 7 right and following it too early in my opinion with a poorly researched and developed 8,and then trying to put it right with 8.1, I find it difficult to believe MS have chucked out a poorly functioning 10 that has strong privacy issues.
Are they incapable of actually paying attention to what their customers want and need?
It is incredible that such an apparently successful company can be so blinkered, the good news is they probably won't screw up another OS release, having promised this is the last, they may soon be looking at their last customer.
Particularly if they are going to segue into a PAYG service or something similar, I have a bad felling about 'MS as a service' and if if should go the route of a monthly bill, I will be gone.
It's only the fact that most people don't really know what they are buying until they have bought it that has kept MS going. That and the fact that the main alternative is a fair bit more expensive.
“Despite this year's release of Windows 10, notebook PC shipments are not going to see an increase over last year.”
I believe it should read “Because of this year's release of Windows 10 …”.
I think Microsoft have long ago lost the confidence of consumers, and their recent history of releasing unwelcome versions that don’t work properly is not a strong incentive to rush out and buy more.
" those who have been holding onto their Windows 7 machines are not yet convinced that they want need to invest in a new PC"
This is still the overwhelming issue: Most people have more than enough power to do everything they want so there's just no need to budget for a new PC, no matter how good or bad the new version of the OS is. The quest for power has moved to the mobile world and, even there, it's starting to peter out.
No new hardware requirements for years to force PC upgrades, Chromebook (which are mostly white box and profit-free) sales increasing, Apple taking most of the profit in the few-years-ago-savior segment called Ultrabooks.
Microsoft will be fine because they get paid by corporate users whether or not they upgrade or stick with a tried and true OS, but between those three factors and more people spending 'computer' time on a mobile device running Android or iOS means PC OEMs will continue to see falling sales.
Corporate users should be very scared of the legal implications of MS data vacuum. Many companies have significant legal requirements about data integrity and protection that allowing MS to hoover their data could put a legal bulls eye for a significant wad of cash. If they go the route of thanks but no thanks MS could slowly bleed to death.
Why? What's the compelling reason? It wasn't too long ago that the hardware improvements were driving sales in part and during the life of XP that is what drove sales. A new OS.. meh. Not a good reason. Like others, I'll just wait until my current box dies, although if I wanted to stay ahead of the game, I'd grab a Win7 and store it. Or maybe put it on my home network periodically for selected "updates".
Desktop, click on shutdown it reboots but then shuts down on the second attempt, MS fix, update your graphic drivers then silence when you say they're up to date. Known issue.
Start typing on the start menu will only offer up web searches, but click on Cortana and type, will search system too.
Edge is unfinished and, basically, shit. True fact!
Tablet mode - took everything good in 8.1 and flushed it down the toilet - tablet mode in Win10 is basically full screen mode - except for the annoying task bar and Edge not having a full screen option - and the suckage that is NotMetroOnenote but won't allow you to default to Onenote2013 when clicking the pen - or it does, but ignores your choice and opens NotMetroOnenote anyway.
Windows 10 feels like it was created by 50 different departments, none of them talking to each other (except for the NSA whispering in everyones ear, 'phone home'), and they basically took a huge dump on all their Surface users...
Seriously: Fuck Microsoft and their buggedly buggered piece of bugged shitware! /Rant...
Need Coffee!
"Reviewers have noted numerous privacy concerns about the amount of information Windows 10 sends back to Microsoft by default."
If I am forced to install it on a machine that doesn't matter, it won't send anything that I don't want it to back to M$ without my permission, because I have 3 firewall layers*, all of which have to approve anything outgoing.
Software (not Micro$oft) on the PC, one in the router and between that and the fibre modem a dedicated firewall box.
Doesn't everybody in business do that?
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