Microsoft hopes that the upcoming Windows 8.1 will turn out to be a major catalyst of a significant growth of not just the Windows ecosystem, but the overall PC hardware industry.
The software titan has significantly improved several features in the forthcoming operating system.
But according to a new research conducted by Citi, and published by Win8China, the sales of PC hardware will continue its decline even after the release of Windows 8.1. In other words, the upcoming refresh of the Windows operating system will do little to lend a hand to the hardware industry.
The good news, however, is that tablet sales are very likely to skyrocket in the next few months.
No less than 237 million units are expected to be sold — up from figures of 144 million last year.
Windows 8.1 will help owners of 7 and 8 inch devices (tablets and hybrid convertibles) to make the most of what the Metro UI offers. And this will, ultimately, play a major role in the success of the platform. Microsoft, for its part has bundled seven enhancements for devices in this smaller form factor.
The software titan has recently confirmed that it will offer improved support for portrait mode, and the Start screen itself will benefit from this improvement.
Ultimately, how things turn out this year will be evident by the start of the next. But even if Microsoft can carve out some success for its platform on the tablet front, it may turn out to be a deal worth pursuing. There are a lot of internal and external factors that affect the PC hardware industry, after all.
