Adoption of the operating system has hit a roadblock even though Microsoft is heavily promoting it. According to the latest market research, Windows 11 is running on just over 1% of all PCs, placing it behind Windows 7 and Windows 8.
Lansweeper's market data shows that older operating systems, such as Windows 7 and Windows 8, command a larger share of the market than Windows 11.
Windows 7 has a market share of 4.7% and Windows XP has a market share of 1.71%. Windows 10 has an install base of 80.34%, which is likely due to the ease of upgrade when that OS launched.
Older systems running Windows 10 or earlier may be the reason for the slow adoption of Windows 11. Only PCs that have been in use for a few years are eligible to run the latest version of Windows. According to Lansweeper's report, more than half of PCs can't upgrade to Windows 11.
According to the company's market research, only 44.4% of the 30 million Windows devices in 60,000 organizations are eligible to receive the automatic upgrade.
Since then, Microsoft has made it easier to get incompatible devices to run Windows 11 with a manual install, rather than just running the Windows 11 upgrade utility and performing a registry hack.
Both options increase the resistance to Windows 11 adoption by those who don't feel comfortable with more advanced tinkering. Even if you can force your Windows 10 PC to update to Windows 11, Microsoft does not guarantee that systems that manually upgrade through a registry hack would be eligible to receive software updates, which could potentially put those PCs at risk. The security risk of upgrading could make it hard for people to see the benefits of getting the fresh WindowsUI on 11.
Running end-of-life operating systems that don't get updates, security patches, or critical system fixes poses cybersecurity risks.
If existing software performs well on their current operating system, businesses may not want to upgrade to Windows 11. Businesses have been slower to upgrade than consumers due to platform stability and consistency.
Some news is good news. According to a report on Computer World, AdDuplex's data swung wildly in favor of Microsoft's latest OS, despite the fact that Lansweeper's numbers show a slow uptick for Windows 11 adoption. It's not clear how either company arrived at their numbers and why there is a big difference between the reports.
Slow PC sales are one of the reasons why Microsoft and its partners are having a hard time. According to recent data released by analysts, the sales of PCs in the first quarter of the year in 2022 have decreased for manufacturers like HP, Acer, and others compared with the same period in the prior year.
The PC market is coming off two years of double-digit growth, so it doesn't mean the industry is in a downward spiral.
Demand for commercial PCs is still very strong despite the fact that the education and consumer markets have slowed.
Recommended video
All Rights Reserved © 2024
