For the first time pretty much ever, sales of Microsoft’s Windows OS are about to shrink… and the iPad is to blame.
Business Insider points us to the chart above. Notice anything? Starting at March 2010 — the month Apple introduced the original iPad — sales of Windows have plummeted every quarter, up until March 2011… where, according to Citi analyst Walter Pritchard, they are about to go negative for pretty much the first time ever.
Un-fricking-real. What do you think? Coincidence… or just another sign that Steve Jobs was right and we truly are living in a post-PC age?
John Brownlee is a writer for Fast Company, and a contributing writer here at CoM. He has also written for Wired, Playboy, Boing Boing, Popular Mechanics, VentureBeat, and Gizmodo. He lives in Boston with his wife and two parakeets. You can follow him here on Twitter.
41 responses to “iPad Causes Windows Sales To Shrink For The First Time Ever”
Maybe people are finally getting that Microsoft is irrelevant and are refusing to pay yet again for the same old crap over and over and over again.
Cudo’s to the world for finally getting it.
Think different.
Feel free to berate me if im being a total idiot and cant read a simple bar chart but shouldn’t it say “Dec 10” not “Dec 11” seen as though the rest of the chart seems to be listed past>present, and we haven’t yet reached Dec?
You are correct, the chart is wrong.
They must have been using MS software. Sorry, I couldn’t resist.
I don’t know anyone personally that is excited about Windows 7 or the Windows phone or Windows anything anymore. I’m sure somebody is but my co-workers who used to be BIG Microsoft fans have really cooled off in the last few years and more and more of them are buying Apple computers and Touches and iPhones and iPads. So the fact that sales are dropping doesn’t surprise me.
Really the only people that are “buying” Windows 7 are people that are buying new “PCs” and aren’t buying Macs and they are only buying a new PC because their old one is giving them more problems than they want to deal with anymore and finding someone that can fix Windows XP the right way without charging an amount that makes them say, “I might as well buy a new computer”. And since all new non Apple computers comes with Windows 7 …
I don’t really count Linux because I don’t personally know anyone, other than me and one other person that runs Linux at all. And for both of us Linux is a toy, an amusement and not what are main computers are. Not that it couldn’t be but there is just too much extra tinkering that we just aren’t into to set it up and do anything new that we don’t have currently setup. Until that is fixed, Linux isn’t going to get past 2% of the market. That and have Ubuntu or some other distro actually opening up their own stores like Apple had to.
Steve Ballmer likes this.
In the retail/domestic industry, I am rolling out and supporting 2 to 3 times the number Apple products (iPad,iPhone,mac related) than I am pc (Windows anything). The majority of my PC related work is keeping legacy PC systems (XP and Win7, Vista is getting dumped every time I see a Vista system) going until they can replace them with proposed Apple products. Typical questions are “(when) can I run MSWord on my iPad?” or “Can I keep my (business) accounts on my iPad?” or “Why can’t I install my (old) windows software on my iPad?” (Yes, I get that question daily). Just crazy!
In the retail/domestic industry, I am rolling out and supporting 2 to 3 times the number Apple products (iPad,iPhone,mac related) than I am pc (Windows anything). The majority of my PC related work is keeping legacy PC systems (XP and Win7, Vista is getting dumped every time I see a Vista system) going until they can replace them with proposed Apple products. Typical questions are “(when) can I run MSWord on my iPad?” or “Can I keep my (business) accounts on my iPad?” or “Why can’t I install my (old) windows software on my iPad?” (Yes, I get that question daily). Just crazy!
I run linux on my old laptop exclusively right now and I am having absolutely no problems with it. (I am slowly saving up my money for an iMac + a MBP). Linux is much more than a toy. For 75% of people, linux will have everything they need. The only thing lacking is enterprise software like photoshop and autocad which isn’t a big deal for home users (who don’t pirate). Interestingly, linux has better support for my hardware than windows 7 did. Every feature of my laptop works on linux :).
Until I see numbers, it’s nothing more than Post hoc ergo propter hoc
re: “75% of people (will be good with Linux)” This is completely inaccurate.
There are already far more people using iPads than there are people using desktop Linux. “Linux on the desktop” is a *failure* plain and simple. It never caught on, and now the iPad has surpassed it in a single season.
http://royal.pingdom.com/2011/…
Really? Because I’m pretty sure that linux can do everything an iPad can do — I own an iPad 2. I am not saying linux can replace anybody doing work (read: business work) but for my parents who only check email and type word documents, linux would be great. There are a lot of reasons why desktop linux never caught on. Going into the whole story of why linux is not prevelant is not something I want to discuss because there are SO many angles to cover. Not catching on is not the same thing as not being able to satisfy 75% of users.
Dec 11 is probably a prediction and Mar should be 12, also a prediction most likely based on current trends.
Automotive programs recorded some basic information
http://www.articles9.net/2011/…
Balmer must go. I don’t know how he’s lasted this long. Hopefully Apple doesn’t hire him when Jobs is gone ;-)
i dont think ipads will affect windows sales
Are you sassing us in Eskimo?
The Gnome is attempting to hand out “kudos”, but can’t spell the word. On top of that, there’s an apostrophe thrown in for no reason. Although I agree with the overall point, I have to say, on behalf of the world, that a compliment like this doesn’t really amount to anything. Pick up a dictionary, illiterate.
correlation does not imply causation
An iPad does NOT replace a Windows machine, neither Mac or Linux… Ok, tablets are nice and they do a lot of things, but I don’t think Windows sales are shrinking because people are using iPads, or any other tablet…
They are complementary technologies…
hmm the ipad was being blamed for the reduce in pc/laptops being bought is this just another story?or is their some basis
Speak for yourself, we’re not all pompous, pretentious, douchbag’s who feel a need to correct everyone’s spelling and grammar. You can spell, well done! Go write me a letter and I’ll stick it up on the fridge for you, there’s a good boy.
Awwwww, ya’ bonehead! Ballmer needs to STAY at Mister Softy. FOREVER! He’s the best thing that ever happened to that hallowed company. He’s a genius! May the Micro$oft board of directors remain in their comas for many years to come.