Windows 10 Takes Over Windows 7

Windows 10 has finally taken over Windows 7 in terms of usage. The OS, first released back in 2015, now has more users than Windows 7, according to Net Market Share’s latest report.

Windows 10 was lagging behind Windows 7, arguably one of the most popular versions of Windows to date. According to Net Market Share, however, Windows 10 now has a usage share of 39.22%, beating Windows 7’s 36.90% usage share. That’s as of December 2018.

The achievement is a big one for Redmond. Still, the software giant has a huge year ahead for itself, and that 36.90% usage share of Windows 7 is a major portion of the entire Windows userbase. Majority of Window 7 users continue to be enterprise customers, and Microsoft will have to continue pushing these businesses to slowly make the shift to Windows 10. That’s not an easy job, for sure, but considering Windows 10 is now the most popular version of Windows, the complete shift will happen eventually.

Microsoft originally hoped for Windows 10 to get a billion active devices within the first two/three years of release, and that, of course, didn’t end up happening. Although Windows 10’s usage rocketed up when the OS first launched, it’s no secret the growth has slowed down ever since the end of the free upgrade offer for older versions of Windows. We still can’t overlook the fact that Microsoft’s Windows 10 has been growingly steadily over the years, and the company’s Windows as a Service plan has worked out pretty well.

But now that Windows 10 is practically the most popular OS in the world, with macOS (as a whole) being used by 9.61% of users and Linux claiming 2.09%, Microsoft’s dominance in the desktop world will continue to make the company relevant in the consumer world.

The company has a huge year ahead of itself — with one big Windows 10 update expected in the first half of the year, and another in the second. Microsoft has focused on creativity and productivity in Windows 10 for the past feature updates, and the company’s focus will likely continue to be on productivity this year.

:story: Thurrott