Despite hopes that the worldwide market for personal computers would get a boost this year, the number of systems shipped worldwide is still in free-fall.
According to this article by NetworkWorld, the slump in PC and chip sales is causing investors to lose confidence in the hardware market. Sales haven't been lower since the dotcom bubble burst in the early 2000s, according to an analyst firm it quoted.
Craig Since, senior principal analyst for computer systems at IHS iSuppli Compute Platforms Service, said, "the usual boost from the back-to-school season appears to be a bust, and both AMD and Intel's third-quarter outlooks appear to be flat to down. Optimism has vanished and turned to doubt.."
There are hopes, however, that both new software and hardware will invigorate the market. Windows 8 is set for release soon and a new generation of Ultrabooks may "redraw the PC landscape," according to iSuppli.
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