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Samsung blames Windows 8 for declining PC sales.
CalmOceans
Member UncommonPosts: 2,437
I get increasingly worried about what Microsoft is doing since it's really not going to help PC gaming if they keep making these kind of blunders.
Samsung just said they're not selling PC anymore because no one wants Windows 8, it;s all over the news: http://koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/tech/2013/03/133_131743.html
You could argue that it's samsung's fault. But Acer, HP and Fujitsu have suffered huge losses too and they all said it happened after the launch of Windows 8.
Isn't this going to have a very negative impact on MMO too if no one even cares to update or buy a PC because of Windows 8.
Comments
Tbh I doubt it. Personally I have win8 downloaded and ready to install, its just that I dont like it, so I dont use it. If ever I have to update in order to meet mmo requirements, I hope the next OS is better than win8. (win8 coupled with an ssd makes for a very fast pc, but - it is a chaotic interface. I hate the thumbnail screens and just dont like it)
Since most pc games are still created to be availabe for os users as far back as win xp (around 9% of pc gamers use it still) and 69% uses win 7, with a 9% minority using vista - games are going to take a long long time before they discard these older OS and require us to have win8 or newer. Therefor it doesnt really matter for current pc gamers.
Judgeing by steam numbers win8 account for 10 % of users.
If Samsung want to sell pc's sell them with win7 - win8 is your choice - you update to it, or you downgrade to win7 from a new pc.
Well there's not a lot to doubt, they're not lying about their figures. Both sales of their own PC units and DRAM prices, they know what they're talking about.
PC sales were in decline long before Windows8 launched, frankly blaming that on Win8 is moronic in the extreme.
I could see saying Win8 didn't pick sales up the way previous versions have, but that's a different thing, and, frankly probably not really relevenant. Between mobile computing having taken off and the pace of computing having vastly slowed, a sales slowdown is and was inevitable, regardless of what MS did.
Most people are computer-saturated and have been for some time. Their system from three years ago can do everything they want and more, Win7 is rock stable and, again, does everything they want and more, so why upgrade?
The days of an OS upgrade being a compelling reason to upgrade your system are long behind us, nothing MS could really do about that.
Then sell your PC with windows 7 installed or is there some contract they have to honour? I really do not understand it.
I think you misunderstand.
I doubt it, was my answer in reference to the OP's question, not Samsungs numbers. People who plays mmo's dont base their pc purchase on the OS it comes with. They are allways able to downgrade to an OS they prefer. - but a lot of people who play mmo's might also be people who keep updating pc components and keeping the OS they prefer for years, regardless of whatever samsung, or microsoft have on their latest market push.
Also. - PC sales might be declining but how do they factor in all the people who dont buy ready made pc's?
Isnt it also true that more and more people become tech informed and realise that you save lots and lots and lots of money by purchasing the individual parts of a pc, instead of an overpriced pc at samsung, where you wouldnt necessarily have it be a gaming specialised pc anyway.
I never in my life bought a pc, yet I have played pc games for nearly 15 years. - I dont factor in at all in stats on pc purchases, yet I get a new pc every 3 years. I know Im not in a small minority on this.
You need to be willing to put this into perspective, PC sales are much lower after Windows 8 than before.
Companies who said this,
Fujitsi: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-12-27/fujitsu-to-miss-shipment-goal-for-pcs-as-demand-in-europe-slumps.html
Acer: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-27/acer-sees-success-in-chrome-pcs-as-windows-fails-to-drive-sales.html
HP: http://www.networkworld.com/news/2012/082412-windows8-update-261918.html
Dell http://www.networkworld.com/news/2012/082412-windows8-update-261918.html
Samsung: http://koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/tech/2013/03/133_131743.html
All of the above companies said sales declined because of Windows 8. Are you saying the 5 biggest PC OEM are all wrong and you are right?
Tbe problem is that they have a contract with MS that tbey will be preloading their PCs with Win8. I doubt that MS is even sending them any more Win7 licences.
You need to be willing to put this into perspective, PC sales are much lower after Windows 8 than before.
Companies who said this,
Fujitsi: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-12-27/fujitsu-to-miss-shipment-goal-for-pcs-as-demand-in-europe-slumps.html
Acer http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/acer-president-says-windows-8-was-a-sales-flop/
HP: http://www.networkworld.com/news/2012/082412-windows8-update-261918.html
Dell http://www.networkworld.com/news/2012/082412-windows8-update-261918.html
Samsung: http://koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/tech/2013/03/133_131743.html
All of the above companies said sales declined because of Windows 8. Are you saying the 5 biggest PC OEM are all wrong and you are right?
Perhaps, but look at sales for "other devices" over the same period. Tablets especially have taken off in the last year, as well as new and more powerful IPhones. It comes down to the fact that people can now more easily buy "as much device as they need", and especially if money is tight, I can see people buying a much cheaper tablet or Netbook than a full feature PC/Laptop if that is all they need.seems like both parties are pointing fingers
Microsoft Blames PC Vendors for Poor Windows 8 Sales
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Microsoft-PC-Windows-8-Sales,20720.html
EQ2 fan sites
The problem is an arms race between hardware vendors resulted in actually good and affordable hardware that doesn't need upgrades - which means less people buy new PCs. This coupled with a good OS (Windows 7) that was introduced to make up for the failure of Vista means not many need or want new PCs that would run Win8.
You guys just wait.... the manufacturers and Microsolf will learn from this - I predict at least 10 years of crappy PC hardware and OSs coming so that people need to upgrade more often.
Laptops are another matter though, they are getting hit hard by ios / Android devices.
This is a great point. I mean, Samsung might be complaining about PC sales, but how are their tablet and phones doing? While I don't follow mobile device sales, I get the impression, they are pretty healthy on that side. I could certainly be off on this point, but the fact that functionality that used to be exclusive to the PC (or at least had the best user experience on a PC) is now readily, and easily, available in other devices.
To the point about "every other Windows OS release", I tend to agree and I wonder if there was a reduction sales relative to the releases of Vista or ME. It would be interesting to see if there is a sales trend that supports the statement.
At any rate, I can't recall ever buying a PC because a new OS came out. If I were to buy a PC from one of those vendors today, I would prefer if Windows 7 were available, as I have no compelling reason to upgrade, but Windows 8 wouldn't stop me from purchasing. I can't imagine I'm a unqiue and special snowflake and that having Windows 8 is reason enough for people to not buy a PC (so much as people just...not needing a new PC). But that's just my perspective which doesn't always match up with reality so your mileage may vary.
-mklinic
"Do something right, no one remembers.
Do something wrong, no one forgets"
-from No One Remembers by In Strict Confidence
Corporations have also scaled back. We used to get our company desktops and laptops "refreshed" (upgraded) every two years. Now that happens every three years, and don't even get me started on OS upgrades. We're still forced to use Windows XP and Internet Explorer 7 for gawd sakes! WE AREN'T SAVAGES!
Ok, I'll calm down now, but I think PC sales are just down for a whole host of reasons that have nothing to do with Windows 8.
DRAM prices have gone up in the last few months.
If that's the case, then it's their own fault for signing a contract with Microsoft that requires them to do something stupid.
Unless, of course, Microsoft refused to still sell them Windows 7 licenses, which would be odd.
Right, not sure what you're trying to say.
IN regards to the article, Samsung says that their major investments are going to DRAM because of their success and demand in mobile compared to conventional chips, which once against shows the shifting landscape from traditional PC to mobile.
AMD and Intel are reporting that CPU sales are down, too. Whether you buy from an OEM or build your own, you probably need a CPU from either AMD or Intel.
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The real "problem" is that once computers are good enough, there's no need to replace it every 3 years anymore. I built a nice computer in 2009. Today, it's still nice, so I see no urgent need to replace it. Every other computer that I've ever had felt rather dated 3 years after I got it.
If people used to replace a computer every 3 years, and now replace it every 5 years instead, then that's a 40% drop in annual sales right there. The 3 and 5 are made up numbers, of course, but the longer replacement cycle is not.
It's partially because gains in what hardware can do have slowed down. It used to be that if you bought a computer, four years later, you could expect to buy something new that was about four times as fast. Compared to the computer I built in 2009, however, you're not getting something four times as fast. A Radeon HD 7950 is maybe twice as fast as my Radeon HD 5850. (I cite the 7950 in particular because it's the natural successor card for a clean comparison--and the 7950 is actually more expensive than the $260 that I paid for my 5850.) A Core i7-3770K is maybe 50% faster than my Core i7-860. My aging video card still supports the latest graphics APIs, apart from the irrelevant DirectX 11.1. I've got an SSD, and newer SSDs are much faster in synthetic benchmarks, but even my old OCZ Agility is so fast in real-world use that there isn't much gains to be had from a faster SSD. I've got Windows 7, and while Windows 8 is newer, the last OS that was enough of an advance to justify an upgrade for OS reasons alone was Windows XP.
This right here. I have Win8, but it's not that big of a difference over Win7 apart from the attempt to market their start screen to touch-screeners. I think Samsung and the rest are up shit creek for a different reason.
Well said...There is just too much other stuff out now (and all of it is cheaper than a PC).....Its also an issue for game makers now as they have to decide what format they are going to tailor their game to......It used to be a no-brainer but now there are other things to think about.
This would be my guess as well. Even as a hobbyst I find myself upgrading much less than I used to 15-20 years ago. I can't justify the price of upgrades vs the performance increase that I'd see.
There are certain queer times and occasions in this strange mixed affair we call life when a man takes this whole universe for a vast practical joke, though the wit thereof he but dimly discerns, and more than suspects that the joke is at nobody's expense but his own.
-- Herman Melville
Yeah, I am going to be getting my wife, and probably me a computer soon, and was thinking how old my wife's computer was, and it still plays games decently. We would get new computers every 3 years or so, like clockwork, and when we did, the old ones were garbage.
A buddy of mine bought a computer about a year and a half ago, got a GTX 570 card in it, that is still pretty comparible to a GTX 660/660 TI, which is plenty to play anything coming out, unless you have multiple monitors or feel the need to play at high resolutions and maybe on ultra or something. Was telling him how his card he bought is still nice now.
Windows 8 does not scare me, never used it, but it won't stop me from getting it. I am looking at building my own computer and I will be ordering Win 8 as the OS. I have 7 now, and I have no problem with it, but I cannot see 8 being that big a deal. I have a windows phone I like, and 8 works better with the phones atm also, so that will be a plus for me.
Tablet sales also are killing them, between that and computers lasting longer, I think this is the new cycle for computers, not saying their isn't people that refuse to use windows 8, but if you want a computer with windows 7, I have zero problems finding computers with 7, and copies of 7...Most of the build sites also offer both 7 and 8 atm.