Txdigest.com

PC-industry executives and analysts said new computer designs and features would lead people to buy new computers despite free Windows 10 upgrades. Mr. Skaugen, who leads Intel’s chip business for PCs and mobile devices, said sales of new PCs would be propelled by a new Intel chip coming soon and by elements in Windows 10 that work best on new machines. These include Cortana, a Siri-like voice assistant for Windows computers, and the ability to log into computers with an image of a user’s face instead of typing a password. “To really take advantage of Windows 10, they need new hardware,” said Mr. Skaugen.

That new hardware, however, is reaching the market at a pace that resembles a marathon more than a sprint.

Three years ago, when Microsoft launched the current version of Windows, the company counted more than 1,000 new computers and tablets that had been certified for the new version. Last week, Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella said PC makers had “hundreds of new hardware designs” in the works for Windows 10, and the “first of these exciting new devices will start to be available on Windows 10 launch date.”

PC makers and Microsoft don’t fully agree on the relative paucity of new Windows models, and they say they expect full complement of Windows 10 devices for the holiday shopping season.