PC shipments have hit a six-year low

A slowdown in Windows XP upgrades and the wait for Windows 10 sent worldwide PC shipments tumbling to a six-year low in the first quarter this year, according to IDC. Worldwide PC shipments totaled 68.5 million units during the first quarter, declining by 6.7 percent compared with the same quarter the previous year, IDC said Thursday. That is the lowest volume of first-quarter PC shipments since 2009, IDC said. The PC shipments showed signs of stabilizing in the second half of last year as businesses replaced old Windows XP PCs with new Windows 7 systems. With pent-up demand to replace old PCs, Windows 10 could have a positive impact on PC shipments, said Rajani Singh, senior research analyst at IDC. Windows 10 was designed to combine the strengths of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, which has been a disappointment. Windows 10 will be a free upgrade to Windows 8.1, Windows 8 and Windows 7 users for the first year. Microsoft hasn’t shared the release date for Windows 10, but PC makers have hinted that tablets and laptops with the new OS will ship around September or October, or perhaps even earlier.