After 3 years, Windows 11 has more than half Windows 10's market share
- Reference: 1727793907
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2024/10/01/windows_11_market_share/
- Source link:
Windows 11 Patch Tuesday preview is a glitchy disaster [1]READ MORE
The data, [2]collated by Statcounter , indicates a modest acceleration in the adoption of Windows 11. At the end of September 2024, Windows 10 had a 62.79 percent market share and Windows 11 accounted for 33.37 percent.
For comparison, in September 2023, Statcounter put Windows 11 at just 23.64 percent while Windows 10 reigned supreme at 71.62 percent.
There are some unflattering comparisons to be made with how Windows 10 performed against its predecessors at the same point in its life cycle. Windows 8.1 finally dropped out of extended support on January 10, 2023. A year prior to that, Windows 10 accounted for an 81.15 percent market share compared to the 2.93 percent of Windows 8.1.
Windows 10 was also comfortably ahead of Windows 7 in terms of market share, a year before the latter's demise in January 2020. In January 2019, Windows 10 stood at 53.18 percent compared to the 35.05 percent of Windows 7.
[3]
Later this week, three years will have elapsed since the release of Windows 11. After three years, Windows 10 was already significantly ahead of Windows 8.1 and accounted for a market share of 47.25 percent compared to Windows 7's 39.06 percent.
[4]
[5]
All of which means that, despite some long overdue gains and the absence of official figures from Microsoft, Windows 11 is a long way behind where its predecessor was at the same point in its life cycle.
[6]Windows 11 Patch Tuesday preview is a glitchy disaster
[7]AI to power the corporate Windows 11 refresh? Nobody's buying that
[8]Microsoft on a roll for terrible rebranding with Windows App
[9]The end is in sight for Windows 10, but Microsoft keeps pushing out fixes
Windows 11 has not been the hit Microsoft and its hardware vendors hoped for. The infamous [10]hardware compatibility requirements meant the move to Windows 11 has not been an option for many users in the same way that upgrading to Windows 10 was relatively straightforward.
The hope that users would opt to buy new hardware with the requisite CPU and Trusted Platform Module (TPM) has proven unfounded since there is little in the latest version of Windows to drive users to it. For many, Windows 10 is just fine.
Win 11 refreshes delayed, say PC makers – and here's why [11]READ MORE
The result was initially a near-static market share figure after the users who could upgrade did, before a trickle of device upgrades slowly eroded the lead of Windows 10.
However, with the end of support looming, corporate IT departments will be forced to update hardware over the next 12 months or pay Microsoft for extended security updates.
Or CIOs may even decide to reassess their existing, perfectly functional fleet of computers and decide that now is the time to consider an alternative operating system. ®
Get our [12]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2024/09/30/windows_11_kb5043145/
[2] https://gs.statcounter.com/windows-version-market-share/desktop/worldwide/#monthly-202309-202409
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2ZvwcpesilpP9azlCbOfNgwAAAUo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZvwcpesilpP9azlCbOfNgwAAAUo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZvwcpesilpP9azlCbOfNgwAAAUo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2024/09/30/windows_11_kb5043145/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2024/09/23/windows_11_ai_opinion/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2024/09/20/microsoft_windows_app/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2024/09/17/windows_10_insider_update/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2021/06/28/microsoft_windows_11_insider_preview_released/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2024/09/13/win_11_refreshes_delayed_pc_makers/
[12] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
The Last OS
I mean casting Win10 as the last Windows probably wasn't a wise move if you had any intention of selling Windows 11.
Also, Windows 11 does literally nothing for me that I want to do over and above Windows 10. For that matter, nothing over and above Windows XP, save for ongoing support.
There was a time (decades ago, when I was young, and carefree) when a new OS from Microsoft actually brought you new, useful functionality. Now ... well there's a reason my personal machines are on Debian.
I would have thought that most companies would already be running compatible hardware for most of their users by now.
Those that are not compatible must be up for replacement anyway.
I am not excusing the requirements in any way, just stating that most corporate users will have a hardware refresh cycle that accommodates the Windows 11 requirements.
It may be different with small businesses and certainly one I know upgraded older PCs with SSDs, more ram & a better graphics card a few years ago for some specialist software but they do not support Windows 11.
Why "upgrade" old hardware if the current is perfectly fine? The only time a 5 year old processor gets to 100% for a sustained period is because of a software defect. A new processor would just hang ... more efficiently? Outside of games and "AI", does the average worker need a better graphics subsystem? No. A faster disk? No. A new keyboard and mouse? Probably.
My parents bought a new car every couple of years in the 70s and 80s because they had too. We don't need to, and we shouldn't be forced to.
TBH I think most large businesses are running kit that will support W11. So this uptick is just the start of the corporate shift to W11. And they will shift even if they need to buy new hardware.
I'd be interested to see the linux share. It'll be a small increase if it does happen (more in terms of Linux percentage, not expecting a big shift against MS) but wondering if W11's crtappy terms are making a small but significant number make the jump.
I'd also wonder if a significant number simply stop using MS PCs and just move to phone/tablet/Chromebook etc
Support
I cannot wait for support to end. No more pesky Windows Update messages that can ruin your day.
Windows 10 will be even better.
Are MS worried?
Does anyone here think that there is anyone (at a senior level maybe?) within MS that is asking the question as to why people are not upgrading?
Are MS worried? Do they care?
"CIOs may even decide to reassess their existing, perfectly functional fleet of computers and decide that now is the time to consider an alternative operating system."
I sincerely hope that the majority of consumers go for this option, saving money, resources and a considerable amount of completely unnecessary e-waste - Canalys Research warned that Microsoft’s decision to end support for Windows 10 next year could result in 240 million PCs being sent to landfill.
Hey, it didn't occur to me before your comment, but 2025 could be a great year for people wanting to acquire still-perfectly-functional refurb'd corporate PCs at unreasonably low prices !
I'm sure there are bets around about whether MS will lower the hardware requirements for W11 before 10/14/25. Could be an interesting game of chicken.
I for one, like so many others, have no reason whatsoever to upgrade to 11 (with a PC that is compatible, as MS reminds me of from time to time). I've upgraded from Win7 before only because Junior could not play some games that needed DX12. And some tiny security considerations...
It's all very simple
Why Win11's adoption has been slow, and by now pretty standard practice for Windows:
Skip every other release.
I eagerly await Windows 12 thankyouverymuch.
Perhaps, just perhaps, some company bean counters are putting 2 and 2 together and realising that, instead of dumping perfectly good hardware and software systems just to kneel at the alter of Microsoft, being green actually saves a shedload of money ...
Ok, so most will avoid the "being green" bit. But the point is that *any* software company brazen enough to have the marketing ploy of demanding that users upgrade hardware *just* to run their software, which is already proven to run on existing hardware, to gain the benefit of few, if any, changes those users actually want or need and certainly didn't ask for, is just asking for a severe kicking from its customers.