Surely, the collapsing PC hardware market could use all the help it can get, but it appears that the retirement of Windows XP has only been a small factor in this recent growth.
The traditional computing hardware market is not doing all that great, this much is certain.
There are a number of factors for this downward trend, with the two primary ones being the rise of smartphones and the advent of tablets. But the Windows XP end of support that took place in April this year was expected to be a catalyst for PC sales.
Yes, it helped the entire industry at this critical moment, according to some initial data gathered by market research firms.
But according to Intel, this factor is not as significant as was initially believed, and although the retirement of the classic platform is playing a part, it is only a small role:
“Windows XP end-of-life is a relatively small factor in the growth that we’re seeing in the commercial PC business now and in the near future.”
These are the words of Tom Garrison, the vice president and general manager of the business platform division at Intel. And they are interesting in the sense that if this continues, the PC hardware market could mount a bit of a comeback on its own.
Or dare one say, with the help of Windows 8 and the various new device it brought along.
The development of Windows 9, which is coming along fine, could also have an important say in these matters, more so due to the focus on the desktop side that this new OS brings.