Windows 10 Nearly Hits 1B Device Target Albeit 2 Years Late

Slowly but surely, and like it or not, after remaining exceptionally loyal to their older operating systems, people are finally starting to make the move over to Windows 10. Admittedly, this might be something to do with the fact that official support for Windows 7 is coming (mostly) to an end this January, but a factor is undoubtedly also people just upgrading to newer laptops or systems.

In a report via TechSpot, however, Microsoft has confirmed that Windows 10 is now running on over 900 million systems. While this might sound impressive, it actually more highlights one of the companies key failures with this operating system.

Windows 10 is the OS for Over 900 Million Devices

So, why is this number a little embarrassing? Surely achieving over 900 million should be exceptionally impressive, right? Well, when Microsoft initially launched Windows 10 back in 2016, they hoped to have over a billion users by this time last year.

That fact that those figures were only 700m which by proxy means that they have only grown by 200m in the last 12-months, means that Microsoft has fallen well short of their own predicted target.

Why Has It Taken So Long?

This question largely boils down to two primary factors. Firstly, Windows 7 was (and still is) a pretty awesome operating system. In addition, since the launch of Windows 10, it has seen more than a few problems with updates pushed out the door that was clearly not thoroughly tested.

It is, essentially, history repeating itself over when Microsoft tried to get people to move away from XP. People are (again) remaining far more stubbornly loyal to their ‘comfort zone’ operating system.

Given that most people moved away from XP when support for that ended, however, we can likely expect to see the same from Windows 7. As such, while Windows 10 hasn’t hit a billion devices yet, it will probably happen in February. This is, after all, a month after Windows 7 is officially put out to pasture.

What do you think? – Let us know in the comments!