14 DAY TRIAL // Windows remains the number one operating system in the world, and according to new data provided by Microsoft itself, it’s still running on 1.5 billion computers out there.
While this number isn’t exactly new, and it has been previously used by Microsoft on several occasions to emphasize how widely-used Windows really is, the updated statistics come at a time when the company struggles to make Windows 10 the number one desktop platform.
According to third-party statistics, Windows 7 is the leading desktop operating system with a share of more than 40 percent, while Windows 10 is just the runner-up with some 37 percent share.
Needless to say, a switch of places is very likely, especially as we get closer to the end-of-support date for Windows 7. Microsoft will stop offering updates and security patches for Windows 7 in January 2020, and the closer we get to this deadline, the more computers are expected to be upgraded to Windows 10.
The Windows 10 push
Also very important to note is that Windows 10 is said to be running on some 700 million of Windows devices out there, according to Microsoft’s own figures, so it’s close to powering half of the entire PC base operated by the Redmond-based software giant.
Windows 10 keeps evolving, and new feature updates are released twice per year. Most recently, the company pushed the go-ahead button for the October 2018 Update, but this release got suspended after just a few days due to bugs potentially leading to user data removal.
This strategy of shipping two major updates every 12 months has been widely criticized, mostly because Microsoft doesn’t seem to have enough time to ensure 100 percent performance and reliability, instead publishing unpolished updates that could do more harm than good.
For the time being, Microsoft is still in the process of testing the October update, and further information on its re-release date is expected this week.