Will PC makers try to upsell us into ‘AI-ready’ PCs? Yes, according to analysts IDC, as reported in The Register:

After nine straight quarters of declining shipments, PC makers are waiting for something positive. The best they got in calendar Q3 was a year-on-year drop of 7.6 percent to 68.2 million units, IDC stats indicate.

HP was the only top five player to grow, up more than 6 percent to 13.5 million PC shipments. Apple performed the worst, down more than 23 percent to 7.2 million Macs, largely because it did so well a year ago, which made for a tough comparison period. Dell slipped 14.3 percent to 10.3 million, which given the mix of its portfolio, signals leaner demand from businesses.

IDC says the PC industry will “experience more pain” before things pick up, but it is pinning forecasts on a Windows 11 migration, a more general refresh cycle for devices bought early in the pandemic, and of course the aforementioned generative AI component.

The future of the PC depends on AI – which may be one reason why Microsoft has hurried Windows Copilot into an update.

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