[Hardware] The sale of PCs and tablets will be saved in 2019 by the suspension of Windows 7

[EvKirito]

 

 

The global sale of computers and tablets will close 2019 with a slight increase of 0.5% thanks to the renewal of equipment caused by the definitive suspension of official support for Windows 7, according to IDC, which nevertheless believes that the sector will suffer a medium decline 2.6% per year between now and 2023.

 

The American consultancy has just revised upwards its forecasts for 2019 and considers that during the whole year the manufacturers of PCs, laptops and tablets will have delivered 407.7 million computers to stores.

 

'The upcoming end of support for Windows 7 (announced by Microsoft for January 2020) has been a boon for the industry, as companies around the world have been looking for' hardware 'updates in 2019,' 'explains the analyst from IDC Jitesh Ubrani.

 

Microsoft itself has urged the search for alternatives to that version of its operating system, which in January it will cease to support and therefore will lack updates and will lose compatibility with other programs).

 

In Spain, the National Institute of Cybersecurity (Incibe) has even recommended that companies look for alternatives, since Microsoft will stop solving any problems or security flaws that are discovered.

 

Despite the upturn in sales caused by this eventuality, IDC believes that other factors such as the imposition of tariffs and the foreseeable shortage of chips suggest a short-term drop in orders from distributors of 7%.

 

In four years, global sales could fall to 366.7 million, representing a compound rate of decline of 2.6% per year, dragged mainly by traditional PCs and conventional tablets.

"With increasingly cloud computing and spreading across a growing number of devices, objects and sensors, substantial growth in the PC and tablet market is unlikely," explains Linn Huang, analyst at IDC.

 

The only business areas where progress is expected are in the sale of convertible notebooks (which can also be used as tablets) and lighter notebooks (simple notebooks). The greatest advance will be achieved by devices that have integrated 4G mobile communications and, above all, 5G.

Thus, the global sale of conventional personal computers will tend to fall by an average of 5% per year, to have a market share of 21% with respect to all this type of devices, from the current 23%.

 

Similarly, laptops will fall at an average rate of 9.5% until 2023 and their market share will go from 18 to 14%, while tablets will fall by 11% to go from 26 to 18%.

In contrast, ultralight laptops (5% compound annual growth rate) will gain ground to gain a 27% share, and convertibles (9%) to reach 20%.