"As far as the PC OEMs are concerned, killing off the PC upgrade market would be a good thing because it would push people to buy new PCs rather than upgrade their existing hardware. The PC industry is currently stagnant, partly because consumers and enterprise are making existing hardware last longer."
Maybe the market is stagnant because there really is no need to upgrade. I have a 2009 macbook pro and it's fine. In the late 90's early 2000's I wouldn't go more than 1-2 yeara without an upgrade. I still use an AMD Phenom in my desktop, though I may build a new machine just because of gaming. Nothing is really pushing the limits of modern hardware. Most software is moving to the web and doesn't require the latest processor to run.
If the stated claim is true (killing off upgrades) then their assumption that people will buy new PCs needs to be substantiated. For example when having to upgrade many will consider going for a tablet or similar form factor instead which won't come from the PC OEM, and when it does will be a far lower margin item.
As one example my parents upgraded from their Windows PC to an iPad.
Maybe the market is stagnant because there really is no need to upgrade. I have a 2009 macbook pro and it's fine. In the late 90's early 2000's I wouldn't go more than 1-2 yeara without an upgrade. I still use an AMD Phenom in my desktop, though I may build a new machine just because of gaming. Nothing is really pushing the limits of modern hardware. Most software is moving to the web and doesn't require the latest processor to run.