The sales numbers are out for “PC” shipments from both IDC and Gartner. The two fortunetelling firms differ on many numbers but both agree that the shipments of PCs (yes from Apple too) have declined by .1 % over Q2 2011. What we find interesting is how these two very different reports have been portrayed in the media. In particular we find interesting the way that most sites pick and choose the data they want to convey while citing both reports. So let’s take a look at the whole picture and see if we can have some more fun with numbers.

Microsoft knows that it cannot compete directly in the smart phone OS marketplace. If you need any real proof of this just look at the sales numbers and the adoption rates of iOS and Android over Windows Pone in the business market. The problem is that Microsoft did not innovate fast enough as the market shifted. They had the leading product, but once there was real competition in the form of iOS and Android they failed to capitalize on it and instead embarked on a series of products that hurt them very badly dropping them down to a low of just under 2% for market share.