PC shipments spike in wake of Windows 7 launch

Data for week ending 24 October suggests launch of Microsoft's new operating system has had a big impact on shipments

The launch of Windows 7 has already had a dramatic effect on the PC market, weekly shipment data suggests.

According to a report by financial news site The Stockmasters, data from NPD and Morgan Stanley shows US PC shipments spiked 40 per cent in the week to 24 October. This included just three days of Windows 7 sales.

However, CRN’s poll this week reveals that not all in the channel are confident that Windows 7 will lead to a short-term rise in sales.

A third of respondents said their customers were not interested in Windows 7, while more than two fifths (42 per cent) said their customers were waiting for the launch of SP1.

Just a quarter (25 per cent) said their customers "cannot get it quick enough ".

According to Forrester Research, seven per cent of 655 respondents to a European and US survey said they would roll out Windows 7 in the next year. However, the analyst added that two thirds of UK companies will eventually upgrade to the operating system.