Windows 10 Early Adoption Rate Revealed

Microsoft has been seeding Windows 10 upgrades to millions of Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 users for free, and it looks like the first two weeks have been successful. The current numbers from StatCounter suggest Windows 10 holds 3.55 per cent market share.

Compared to the same time on the Windows 8 launch—which cost £20 for the first few weeks—Windows 10 numbers are impressive. This is bolstered by the free update, alongside the millions of ‘Insiders’ that gained a free pass for helping with the debugging and development.

Most of the movement seems to be coming from Windows 8.1, dropping from 16.4 per cent to 14.9 per cent; a 1.5 per cent decrease. Windows 8—which commands a much smaller percentage of the market—dropped 1.4 per cent to 3.4 per cent market share.

Interestingly, Windows 7 users seem to be apathetic towards the free upgrade, with only 0.6 per cent change in market share. Windows 7 is still the dominant desktop OS, with 53.8 per cent of users still apparently happy with the platform.

That said, Microsoft appears to be focusing on Windows 8 and 8.1 customers first, before upgrading Windows 7 users. We may see a sharp spike in movement once everyone that didn’t reserve a spot starts receiving free upgrade notifications.

Oddly enough, Windows XP noticed a small rise in users by 0.2 per cent. Considering the platform is no longer supported by Microsoft or many third-party app developers, it is a weird uptake, likely from markets where Windows XP machines are still unofficial sold.

Microsoft has not confirmed any download figures, but wants Windows 10 on a billion machines by the end of 2016. Satya Nadella, the CEO, considers mobile, tablet and any other contraption capable of supporting Windows 10 a machine, so this may be easier to achieve than many expect.

In the mobile market, Windows 10 Mobile will come first to a select few Lumia handsets. Microsoft intends to launch at least six new Lumia devices to support Windows 10, but third-party OEM partners are not impressed by the updated mobile platform.

Microsoft is planning to offer Windows 10 Mobile through an Android ROM, already testing it out in China. This ROM will allow the platform to run on popular devices like the Redmi 2 and Mi 4, which could improve Windows 10 Mobile adoption in China.