Not even Windows 10 will be able to save the PC market

Global PC shipments will decline for the fourth consecutive year as people continue re-directing money towards smartphones and tablets. Worldwide PC shipments will decrease by 6.2 percent in 2015, even though the end of Microsoft’s support for Windows XP spurred demand for PCs and nearly stabilized shipments, according to IDC. PC vendors, anticipating the arrival of Windows 10, have reduced their inventory levels. Windows 10 will be a “significant contributor” to PC shipments, but won’t lead to a sales burst. Although enterprises will purchase PCs running Windows 10, consumers won’t be as keen on buying a new PC because Microsoft will provide them with a free upgrade to the new OS, as long as they’re running legal versions of Windows 7 or 8. Instead of purchasing PCs during the holiday shopping season, people will buy tablets, smartphones and wearables like the Apple Watch, IDC said. Microsoft and PC makers need to better market the benefits of Windows 10 and new PCs. The research firm called for PC shipments to stabilize in 2016 and have “limited growth” in the coming years. In a separate report, IDC predicted tablet shipments will shrink this year, but devices with data plans will gain market share.