A weak economy, the death of the industry's leading personality, even a new version of Windows-- the year had it all.
We received plenty of gloomy news regarding the state of the PC industry-- not to mention the economy in general. The EU economy growth forecast bears the title "Growth at a Standstill" while all analyst figures point at an EMEA PC market sliding downwards.
The only upwards trend? Tablets, but only those of the Apple variety, really... even if the cheaper Amazon Kindle Fire might shake the market a bit.
HP nearly gave up on the PC business by setting up the Great Garage Sale, where ex-CEO Léo Apotheker planned to turn HP into an enterprise solution vendor. The company turned around on his decision following his replacement by Meg Whitman. The company's mobile ambitions failed to receive such mercy, though.
Will Ultrabooks save the PC industry? Intel is betting heavily on the ultra-thin laptop category. Vendors including HP and Asus are already bringing out ultrabooks, while some industry analysts (such as IHS iSuppli) provide some cautious hope, especially if makers reduce prices further.
Floodings in Thailand also hit the PC industry as , as HDD makers slash production targets. Even then however there's disagreement-- while Intel says the global PC supply chain is "reducing inventories and microprocessor purchases," AMD insists the channel is still "going pretty well."
Microsoft unveiled Windows 8, designed to run not only on PCs but on "everything." A tile-based UI replaces the traditional Start menu, confirming the company's tablet-based plans.
And finally, the Commodore 64 made a comeback with an Intel Atom processor and USB ports hiding inside the beige-gray body and chunky keyboard. Nostalgia with a modern twist, in a way.
