PC Sales Growing for First Time in Six Years Thanks to Windows 10 Refresh in Business

PC sales have risen year-over-year for the first time since 2012 and we may have Windows 10 to thank. After an initial reluctance to upgrade to PCs with the latest OS, it seems businesses are starting to cave, buying new systems en-masse. According to IDC, the PC market grew 2.7% in the second quarter of 2018, while Gartner puts it at 1.4% due to differing definitions of ‘PC'. The takeaway is that Windows 10 business PCs seem to be behind some of the growth, though they're somewhat offset by decreasing sales in the consumer market. “Once again business volume appeared to be the key driver with the top three companies reaping benefits across both desktop and notebook,” said IDC. “Moreover, the market continued to grow for both premium as well as entry models. Chrome OS-based devices, premium notebooks, and gaming PCs all further fueled the mix in the wake of improved supply and prices of graphic cards.”

A Temporary Boom

Unfortunately, Gartner doesn't expect the growth to last. In around two years time, it expects the momentum to die with the refresh cycle. At that point, we'll likely see consumers replacing traditional PCs with smartphones in even more drastic manner, leading to another decrease. “Vendors should look for ways to maintain growth in the business market as the Windows 10 upgrade cycle tails off,” says Gartner principal analyst Mikako Kitagawa. In the meantime, users should rest assured that the PC isn't quite dead yet. The USA has experienced two consecutive quarters of shipment growth, and Japan came in above IDC's expectations. Meanwhile, HP has had its third quarter in a row of year-over-year shipment growth, and Lenovo its highest since Q1 2015.