According to the Redmond company, Windows 10 is now running on over 900 million devices. Early adoption of the platform was relatively slow, although it did make its way to 400 million around a year after its release. At the time, many predicted Microsoft’s 1 billion goal seemed out of reach. In recent years the tide has changed, with Microsoft expecting a surge as Windows 7 reached its end of life. With Win7 support set to end in January, 2020, organizations have been increasingly moving to Windows 10.
— Yusuf Mehdi (@yusuf_i_mehdi) September 24, 2019 Just six months ago, Microsoft said Windows 10 usage had reached 800 million devices. The jump by another 900 million in such a short space of time is down to several factors. The aforementioned Windows 7 end-of-support is a big part, but Microsoft says there have been more new Windows 10 devices in the last year than ever before. Of course, these days Win10 is available across several form factors, including HoloLens and Xbox One. It is worth noting Microsoft’s initial goal of one billion devices running Win10 was scheduled for three years after release. So, the company has fallen short by a couple of years.
Extending Windows 7
Last month, Microsoft announced it is going to continue to offer free security patches beyond Windows 7 end-of-support.