New Windows Upgrade Will Bring Scant Relief to Ailing PC Market
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The release of Microsoft Corp.’s new Windows 10 operating system -- an event that in years past sparked a surge of computer buying -- will do little to ease the four-year sales slump that’s been dogging the PC industry.
Component makers from Micron Technology Inc. to Intel Corp. aren’t factoring in a jump in demand in their forecasts, and there are few signs of consumer excitement for new PCs around the release. That’s in stark contrast to the lines 20 years ago at computer shops for Windows 95, which drove a 23 percent rise in PC sales in its first year, or even more recent versions such as Windows 7 that pushed users to upgrade their hardware.