In A Blow To Windows 8, Research Firm Drops Estimates For How Many Laptops With Touchscreens Will Be Sold This Year

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A touchscreen laptop by Lenovo.

According to research firm IDC, laptops with touchscreens won't sell as well this year as well as previously expected.

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That's bad news for Microsoft's newest PC operating system Windows 8, which is designed to be used with devices with touchscreens. (The user experience is pretty frustrating if you use a regular non-touchscreen laptop.)

In an interview with Computer World, IDC analyst Bob O'Donnell said the firm now estimates 10%-15% of all laptops sold this year will have touchscreens. That's down from IDC's original estimate that about 18% of laptops sold will have touchscreens. IDC also says the higher price of touchscreen laptops will turn away consumers.

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This is just the latest in a handful of bad reports on the PC industry from IDC. In May, IDC said PC shipments were down 14% year over year. Part of the problem is that consumers are buying cheaper tablets like the iPad instead of upgrading their regular PCs.

To be fair to PC makers, supplies of touch panels were lower than expected, so most PCs were still made with regular screens.

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