Price, battery life, performance - that's how you sell PCs

"The majority of PCs that commercial resellers shipped to enterprise customers in Q4 were AI-capable, however, it was the traditional levers of price, battery life and performance these biz buyers were mostly sold on. Some 54 percent of laptops shipped from distributors to their UK customers in the final three months of 2025 contained a neural processing unit, and a quarter of these were deemed next-generation AI hardware, ie, ones that are based on NPUs with 40+ TOPs."

"Generating more than a passing interest in these devices is taking longer than PC makers hoped for or forecast, and this is due to relatively high prices and a lack of killer apps. On-device AI processing just isn't tempting for many office workers. But vendors are keen to promote them because they promised higher margins. Marie-Christine Pygott, senior analyst at Context, which compiled the stats, said prices are deflating in the business space."

"In the nine months ended October 31, 2025, Dell reported an 11 percent decline in consumer PCs and a 5 percent rise in commercial. More recently, chief operating officer Jeff Clarke admitted at CES in Las Vegas that Dell had "got a bit off course" by focusing more on the premium end of the commercial PC market. It didn't help that Dell phased out its XPS line - it is now reviving the brand."

Fifty-four percent of laptops shipped by distributors to UK enterprise customers in Q4 2025 included a neural processing unit, with a quarter of those classified as next-generation AI hardware using NPUs with 40+ TOPs. Adoption of on-device AI functionality has lagged due to relatively high prices and a lack of compelling applications for office workers. Vendors continue to market AI-capable devices for higher margins even as average UK prices fell year-on-year to just over £1,000 in Q4, a decline of nearly 7 percent. Two distribution price sweet spots emerged at £900 and £1,100, driven largely by Microsoft's Surface Pro. Major OEMs anticipated stronger migration from Windows 10, but Dell reported consumer declines, modest commercial growth, and acknowledged strategic missteps while reviving its XPS line.

Read at Theregister