Upgrading to Windows 7 Is Having Little Effect on IT Departments' PC Purchasing Decisions

Upgrading to Windows 7 is having little effect on IT departments' PC purchasing decisions

Businesses are actively moving off Windows XP, as support for the legacy operating system (OS) is due to end in 2014. But, according to researcher IDC, enterprise PC sales have not been significantly increased by this Windows upgrade, suggesting that companies are sticking with existing hardware.

Karine Paoli, associate vice president, IDC systems and solutions infrastructure group said, "The market slowed a little over the past few quarters as companies migrated to Windows 7, but it has been quite sustained."

Although Microsoft is due to release the latest Windows OS, Windows 8 in October, IDC does not expect many businesses will upgrade this year.

"We don't expect a huge impact of Windows 8 in the short term for businesses as many have already migrated to Windows 7," said Paoli. "There is room for migration to Windows 8, but over several quarters.

"While many large companies have migrated to Windows 7, some small businesses haven't. They are more constrained by the economic environment, but end of year budgets may finally allow for a refresh, while others may prolong and push back a refresh cycle," Paoli added.

"There has also been some 'waiting' attitude for Windows 8, across both consumer and enterprise. This has come from users who are more aware and IT conscious."

Paoli also said that while the consumer market has been declining across Western Europe, there has been significant growth from the tablet sector, which has been driving consumer spending.

The popularity of tablet computers has begun to force businesses to consider them as part of their technology portfolios. In 2010, companies bought 5% of all tablets sold, while a report from Booz&Co stated that this figure is expected to double by 2015.

According to IDC's Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) Quarterly PC Tracker, PC shipments grew 9.1% in the second quarter of 2012. HP remained number one with 19.2% market share, although this has declined by 4.5% compared to Q2 2011. While Acer and Asus saw larger growth over the year, with 32.7% and 39.2% respectively. Acer now holds a 15.5% market share and Asus 10.9%.