PC Demand Still ‘Somewhat Muted’ Despite Windows 10 Launch, AMD CEO Says

Despite Microsoft’s recent enthusiasm over the progress of its Windows 10 launch (see 1510060029), overall consumer PC demand “continues to be somewhat muted as there remains a high volume of Windows 8-based systems still on shelves,” Advanced Micro Devices CEO Lisa Su said on an earnings call Thursday. “As a result, OEMs have been slower to ramp their Windows 10 platforms than we anticipated.” Though AMD isn't expecting that Windows 10 “will drive a dramatic near-term PC refresh cycle, the continued adoption of Windows 10, which has already been installed on more than 110 million PCs to date, provides a great opportunity for AMD over the coming year based on a semi-consumer and commercial refresh cycle environment,” she said. AMD expects the PC market will be “down in 2016 modestly over 2015,” she said. “We will also expect that we’ll continue to have some choppiness in certain regions, particularly in the emerging markets relative to the mature markets, and we’ll have to see how the next few quarters play out from a market standpoint.”