Why PC Sales Are In Free Fall

The latest IDC report has some alarming news for Microsoft and the PC industry. Personal Computer sales are in free fall due to lack of hardware and software innovation. Not only has Microsoft Windows 8 failed to save the PC industry, the hated operating system (OS) has actually harmed PC sales. The PC industry has its share of blame with the failed tablet launch.

First we had Microsoft's misguided Windows RT and Surface tablets strategy. When I warned these products were failures, I got flak from Microsoft defenders that the products haven't even launched and that I couldn't possibly judge so soon. But my assessments were based on fundamental flaws in the products. Windows RT was a version of Windows that couldn't run existing Windows Applications. It also hinged on a nascent Windows Modern UI (formerly "Metro") App Store that is still struggling for relevance half a year after Windows 8 launch.

The Surface tablet based on the NVIDIA Tegra 3 and Windows RT was supposed to offer superior battery life to an Intel based tablet as a concession prize for the lack of Windows application support, but it ended up being less battery efficient and lower performance than Intel tablets. [...]