The Worldwide PC market is set to experience growth in the latter part of the year, thanks in part to the release of the Windows 8 Operating System. The new Microsoft operating system always fuels PC sales and many system builders are hoping that this is the case later this year.

Bob O'Donnell, vice president of Clients and Displays at IDC said in a report published yesterday “Many consumers are holding off making PC purchases at the moment because tablet devices like Apple's iPad are proving to be a powerful distraction.”

He added “However, end user surveys tell us that few people consider media tablets as replacements for their PCs, so later this year when there is a new Microsoft operating system, available in sleek new PC form factors, we believe consumer interest in PCs will begin to rebound.”

IDC are predicting that the PC market worldwide will grow from 353.3 million units in 2011 to 518.3 million by 2016. Much of the growth will come from emerging and developing markets such as the Middle East and Africa.

Bloomberg also published a report yesterday which says that Microsoft are putting the finishing touches to their new operating system in the summer for a Q3 launch.

Jay Chou, senior research analyst in WorldWide PC Tracker said “Windows 8 and ultrabooks are a definitive step in the right direction to recapturing the relevance of the PC, but its promise of meshing a tablet experience in a PC body will likely entail a period of trial and error, thus the market will likely see modest growth in the near term.”

Kitguru says: Will you be an early Windows 8 adopter?

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