Microsoft Corporation (MSFT): Win 8 Fails to Impact PC Sales

There has been talk this week at CES in Las Vegas that several vendors have now developed hardware that is more compatible with Windows 8, though they might not hit store shelves for weeks or even months. So Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) may see its retail sales of Windows 8 continue to lag for a while until the hardware market is fully caught up.

Not all is lost in the PC market, though, as at least three companies saw growth in sales during the holiday quarter. Segment leader Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HPQ) put out a stable 15 million units during the quarter, while Lenovo and ASUS saw solid growth. Lenovo recorded 14.1 million units sold, an increase of more than 8 percent, and ASUS rose more than 5 percent to 6.5 million.

The biggest downturns were experienced by Dell Inc. (NASDAQ:DELL) and Acer. Dell dropped nearly 21 percent to 9.5 million units shipped, and Acer took a 28-percent tumble to 7 million units. IDC noted that Dell was hit by a lot of competition, while Acer was relying on heavy Windows spending that didn’t come to fruition, as much of the consumer spending on computers went to non-Windows tablet devices.

Does Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) get a failing grade for Windows 8, in your opinion? What do these numbers say to you, and what do you think they mean for Microsoft and its OEMs in the future? We’d love your thoughts on the company, this story or the stock in the comments below.

DISCLOSURE: I own no positions in any stock mentioned.

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