During Microsoft’s big hardware event last week in New York perhaps the device that caused the biggest stir was the company’s first ever laptop, the Surface Book. At first glance it would be hard to argue that the new device isn’t impressive. Panos Panay, corporate vice president at Microsoft went as far as saying, “Ounce for ounce, pound for pound, this is the fastest 13-inch laptop ever made, anywhere, on any planet.” Quite a bold claim indeed, unless Microsoft has quietly been working on Interstellar space travel.

The Surface Book, however, does look like a decent contender for one of the best laptops on planet Earth. There is a problem though, and that’s the fact PCs are getting less popular year by year with earthlings. Just a couple of days following Microsoft’s hardware launch an IDC report stated that, “Worldwide PC shipments totaled nearly 71.0 million units in the third quarter of 2015 (3Q15), according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker. This volume represented a year-on-year decline of -10.8% – slightly worse than projections for a decline of -9.2%.”

According to the report Microsoft’s free upgrade to Windows 10 didn’t help matters as people upgraded rather than buy new devices. It’s also early days considering Windows 10 is hardly out of the door, and perhaps it will have more of an effect on PC sales down the line. Nonetheless, sales of desktop computers and laptops have been on the decline for a few years now. The rise of the smartphone and tablet is the obvious major factor here, as well as matters concerning the global economy.

Reports also state that PC manufacturers, “are getting ready for the demise of the PC.” Many of the big names in hardware, Dell (going private in 2013 to reportedly pursue a change in strategy); Lenovo (buying Motorola’s mobile device business in 2014) and HP which is splitting its business into two, “To better compete in a changing technology landscape,” according to Fortune.

It seems with the release of Microsoft’s own hardware – prior to the Surface Book Microsoft’s Surface range has been doing very well – in the face of PC decline the company is taking matters into its own hands. This didn’t go down too well with some of Microsoft’s partners, including Asus Chairman, Jonney Shih, who was reported to have been a little miffed about Microsoft’s big surprise. Re/code reports after hearing Windows chief Terry Myerson talk about the Surface Book Shih said, “I think we are going to have a serious talk about that.”

It remains to be seen if the PC is slowly but surely being supplanted, or whether some of the newer more outstanding devices such as the Surface Book can revitalize the market… on this planet at least.

Photo credit: Anna Vignet via Flickr