Microsoft's new tally for Windows 10: 200M

Microsoft today updated its Windows 10 claim, saying that the new operating system is on more than 200 million devices that have been used at least once in the past month.

The number included not only personal computers and tablets, a company spokesman confirmed, but also Xbox One video game consoles -- the box got Windows 10 in November -- and smartphones now running a preview of Windows 10 Mobile.

"As of today, there are more than 200 million monthly active devices around the world running Windows 10," asserted Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft's lead marketing executive for the Windows and devices group. Mehdi tossed out several other upbeat statistics in a post to a company blog Monday.

"Windows 10 adoption is accelerating, with more than 40% of new Windows 10 devices becoming active since Black Friday," Mehdi said, referring to the shopping day after the U.S.'s Thanksgiving holiday. "In fact, Windows 10 continues to be on the fastest growth trajectory of any version of Windows -- ever -- outpacing Windows 7 by nearly 140% and Windows 8 by nearly 400%."

Mehdi also announced that 22 million of the 200 million-device total -- or about 11% -- were in enterprises and educational organizations, a number likely derived from tallies of Windows 10 Enterprise and Windows 10 Education, the editions available only to businesses, schools and universities.

Today's data refresh was the first from Microsoft in three months: On Oct. 6 a different company official said that 110 million users were then running Windows 10.

:story: Computerworld