Or drastically cut the price of Win8 equipment

Computer store news: Foreign media published an analysis article on Thursday that the entire PC ecosystem is in danger. In order to defend this ecosystem, Microsoft and Intel can no longer pass on the responsibility to PC manufacturers, and must sacrifice their own interests to solve this problem. Market research firm IDC released a report on Wednesday that global PC shipments fell 14% year-on-year in the first quarter of this year, the largest decline in history. Affected by this, Microsoft shares fell 4.44% on Thursday; HP shares fell 6.45%; Intel shares fell 1.95%.

The following is a summary of the article:

Market research firm IDC released a report on Wednesday that global PC shipments fell by 14% in the first quarter of this year. %, the biggest drop in history. Affected by this, Microsoft shares fell 4.44% on Thursday; HP shares fell 6.45%; Intel shares fell 1.95%.

The most surprising thing is that investors are very surprised, not only because “Wintel” (Microsoft + Intel) missed the opportunity for mobile devices to thrive, but also because they want to regain lost ground. The latest attempt has not worked for many months. Supported by Intel processors, new devices equipped with Microsoft's latest Windows 8 operating system rarely caught the attention of consumers in the market.

Microsoft blames this as a limited channel. But market research firm IDC analyst Bob · Bob O'Donnell pointed out that such products are too confusing and expensive. For example, because all Windows 8 devices are expected to have touch screen capabilities, when consumers try out devices that don't have touch screen capabilities at retail stores, they are considered broken. At the same time, consumers want to be able to purchase a touch screen PC at the price of a regular PC, but the high cost of the touch screen leads to an increase in the price of the product.

The market is currently expecting PC shipments to recover in the second half of this year. In particular, Microsoft will end its support for the Windows XP operating system in 2014, forcing business users to upgrade their PCs. As XP users upgrade to Windows 7, it is expected that Intel, as well as Dell and Lenovo Group, which are focused on commercial PCs, will benefit. However, given that few commercial users will choose to use the Windows 8 operating system, this trend is expected to recede soon. It is still unclear what benefits commercial users put on a PC with a touch screen on their employees' desks.

Emerging markets are another hope for PC demand growth. Intel believes that once PC sales prices fall below eight times the average weekly household income of a country, the country's PC adoption rate will increase significantly. For example, China reached this threshold a few years ago. However, IDC statistics show that PC shipments in the Asia Pacific region fell 12.7% year-on-year in the first quarter, keeping pace with the US market.

Mobile devices may be the culprit in the decline in PC shipments. Bernstein analyst Stacy Rasgon said that some emerging affluent consumers in emerging markets may skip PCs and buy mobile devices directly. At the same time, consumers in developed countries are investing more and more money on tablets and smartphones, and they will not upgrade their PCs as they have in the past.

If Microsoft and Intel don't take more drastic measures immediately, the Wintel ecosystem will fall into a vicious circle. Popular devices encourage software development, which will attract more users and then more developers, thus forming a virtuous circle. PCs may never be sexy, but they always offer software that is compatible with different developers.

As PC sales continue to fall, software developers may put more effort into writing software for popular devices. Currently, the popular devices in the market are Apple devices and devices equipped with the Google Android operating system and using ARM architecture processors.

If all the best mobile apps in the market are for apps written for Apple and Google devices, then even if you increase sales channels, lower the price to the regular PC price, plus Microsoft plans to launch The 7-inch Surface tablet can't suppress the continued loss of the Wintel Alliance.

Another way to entice consumers is to drastically cut the price of Windows 8 devices, but this means that Microsoft and Intel's profits will be reduced. The profit margins of PC-related companies have been ruthlessly squeezed. In order to protect the entire system, this time it should be Microsoft and Intel.