The latest data from NetMarketshare suggests Microsoft's Windows 10 adoption has slowed but it is closing in on the ancient Windows XP. Microsoft's latest OS has been generally available for four months and has now captured 9 per cent of desktop OS market share, however that's just 1.1 per cent better than figures from a month earlier.
Looking at the figures another way, Microsoft now has 148 million Windows 10 PC users under its belt. That's 15 per cent of its target to get Windows 10 on a billion systems by mid-2008, reports ComputerWorld.
It has been almost two months since Microsoft last publicised a Windows 10 adoption figure. Back in early October we heard from Microsoft that there were "more than 110 million devices already running Windows 10," with 8 million of those being business users. We could get an official update soon, as 150 million users may be judged by Redmond spin doctors to be a figure worth publicising.
The slowing adoption rate may be troubling for Microsoft managers. Data from another usage statistics firm, StatCounter, almost tallies with the NetApplications data with only a slightly different 1.2 percentage point increase in Windows 10 adoption showing during November. In October the gain was 1.4 points, September 2.3 points and August 5 points.
Back to the NetApplications data, we see that historically Windows 10 is still a big success as it continued to grow faster than Windows 7 did during its first four months following release. StatCounter, however, puts the two OSes neck and neck four months in.
With the holiday season upon us Microsoft could get a nice boost to its Windows 10 figures if there are enough Windows devices stuffed in people's stockings. Industry sources have tipped Windows-dominant 2-in-1 computers for success in the coming months, as people move their preferences away from simple tablet devices.
