14 DAY TRIAL // With Windows 7 support already pulled, Microsoft is nearly all about Windows 10 right now (despite Windows 8.1 still receiving updates until 2023).
And while the company is now recommending everyone to move to Windows 10, it goes without saying that this latest version of the operating system isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and many just want to stick with an older release.
A GIF that was shared this week on reddit shows how the adoption of every Windows version increased and decreased in the last 17 years, highlighting the transition that so many users make from one Windows release to another.
Back in 2003, Windows XP was obviously the number one Windows version – as a matter of fact, Windows XP is still being used these days, despite no longer receiving support since April 2014; launched in 2001, Windows XP mostly runs on devices operated by enterprises or government agencies with limited network access.
The Windows 10 push
Windows Vista, on the other hand, has always been described as Microsoft’s biggest flop, so it never took off. Fortunately, Microsoft came up with Windows 7, which is still considered the company’s most successful Windows version ever. Windows 7 rapidly increased its adoption and continued to dominate the Windows ecosystem even after Microsoft launched Windows 8 in 2012.
Windows 8 was the first modern Windows version that tried to make the transition to touch-capable devices, introducing new capabilities like a Microsoft Store and Metro apps. But at the same time, it removed popular features like a Start menu, and this approach backfired, with the majority of people just sticking with Windows 7.
Many tried to resist the switch to Windows 10 as well, but now that Windows 7 no longer receives support, upgrading devices is pretty much the only way to go. And as you can see in the GIF here, more and more Windows users are making the switch to Windows 10 these days.