Is Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) to Blame? Some Say Yes, Some No

The question of whether or not Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) should be considered a success is one that has people divided. While some feel that the operating system is up to par, others complain that it left out some key features. We have touched on this a bit (check out the details here).

For the sake of attempting to answer this question, we are going to take a closer look at a recent report published by Gartner: Gartner Says Worldwide PC Shipments in the Second Quarter of 2013 Declined 10.9 Percent

When you look at the title, it shows that the worldwide PC market is on the decline. This is something most people have come to grips with over the last year or so, being that tablets and smartphones are continuing to grow in popularity.

On the surface, this doesn’t appear to have anything to do with Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), however, many people feel that the company is to blame. Why, you may ask? Windows 8.

Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner, chimed in on this argument:

“While Windows 8 has been blamed by some as the reason for the PC market’s decline, we believe this is unfounded as it does not explain the sustained decline in PC shipments, nor does it explain Apple’s market performance.”

It is difficult to argue with Kitagawa’s stance on this subject. When you look at the way things have been going for the past couple years, it doesn’t take a genius to see that PC shipments were being negatively impacted by the sales of tablets and smartphones. In short, people are moving away from PCs and gravitating towards mobile devices.

Along with this, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has nothing to do with the devices, such as the iPad, being pushed by other companies. These are great devices that are more than capable of stealing away PC users.

Here is more from Kitagawa:

“Our preliminary results indicate that this reduced market decline was attributed to solid growth in the professional market. Three of the major professional PC suppliers, HP, Dell and Lenovo, all registered better than U.S. average growth rate. The end of Windows XP support potentially drove the remaining PC refresh in the U.S. professional market.”

Before you go blaming Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) for everything wrong with the PC market, it would be in your best interest to consider if the company is really to blame. Not to mention the fact that Windows 8.1 may do a better job meeting market expectations (here’s what we mean by that).

For more on this story, check out the graph, supplied by Gartner, on the next page: