Windows XP Impact
Windows XP, it seems, wasn't quite able to generate the same excitement as Windows 95.
According to IDC, worldwide PC shipments in the fourth quarter of 2001 -- or the quarter in which Windows XP became globally available -- were actually down 6.1 percent year-over-year. In the U.S., the numbers were even grimmer, with shipments down 8.6 percent year-over-year.
In all fairness, though, IDC did note that sales slightly piqued in the fourth quarter compared to the third, and 2001, in general, ended up being one of the slowest-selling years for the PC industry to date. Gartner, in a separate report cited by CNET, said 2001 was the only year that saw the PC market shrink since 1985.
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