You may have read my post from last week on the great momentum we’re seeing with Windows 7 to-date. I thought I would share some more good news – not just for Microsoft and Windows, but for the entire technology industry.
According to IDC early projections, PC shipments in 2009 were up 2.3% overall over 2008. In the US, the PC market established a new record of nearly 20.7 million units shipped in the fourth quarter – a year-on-year growth of 24%! Also in the US, four of our OEM partners make up the top 4 vendors for PC shipments. You can find the original report from IDC here, including information on international PC markets.
According to the Gartner press release “Gartner Says Worldwide PC Shipments in Fourth Quarter of 2009 Posted Strongest Growth Rate in Seven Years,” Gartner Newsroom, January 13, 2010, Worldwide PC shipments surpassed 90 million units in the fourth quarter of 2009, a 22.1% increase from the fourth quarter of 2008, according to preliminary results by Gartner, Inc. It was the strongest quarter over quarter growth rate the worldwide PC market has experienced in the last seven years. More information can be found here.
Why the huge upswing? Both Gartner and IDC gave two key reasons:
1. The launch of Windows 7 sparked renewed interest in the PC market. Essentially, customers heard great things about Windows 7 and were anxious to get their hands on it.
2. A wide variety of powerful, affordably priced netbook, laptop and desktop PCs hit the market and gave customers a chance to get a great machine at a great price.
It’s great to see the worldwide market’s excitement for the wave of sleek new PCs running Windows 7.