According to research manager Jitesh Ubrani, Microsoft's decision to end support for Windows 7 “has been a boon for the industry” in 2019 as large corporations decided to buy more hardware.

But, he added, “2020 will remain challenged as the runway for OS driven hardware purchases shortens”.

The PC market will also be challenged by a combination of tariffs and chip shortages. That will cause a seven percent in new shipments, he said.

The forecast is that the PC market will decline to 366.7 million units in 2023 with a compound annual growth rate of -2.6 percent between now and then.However, Ubrani said that there will be growth in 2-in-1s and thin and light laptops.

Unsurprisingly, slate shipments will continue to decline as their life cycles become longer.

[Picture courtesy of By Bundesarchiv, B 145 Bild-F077948-0006 / Engelbert Reineke]