Windows 10 Adoption Rate Tanks

One of the most critical figures for any new OS is adoption rate. If a new OS fails to be taken up, developers will shun it, leading to a vicious cycle. After experiencing that with Windows 8, Microsoft has taken great pains to ensure Windows 10 won’t suffer the same fate. Unfortunately, after a brilliant start, it seems that the adoption rate has ground to a near standstill.

After a strong launch last year, Windows 10 has picked up about 14.35% of all computers and 270 million devices. That is a pretty good number for any OS but the rate of adoption is the key concern. After reporting well above 1% growth every month since launch, the rate has dropped to just 0.2%. Users are by no means not choosing Windows 10, but it looks like the OS is reaching close to saturation.

The main competition comes from Windows 7 which still holds a massive 2x lead with around 30% of marketshare. Of course, this is a general trend as the more focused Steam survey reports Windows 10 as the most used OS. With the free upgrade ending in just under 3 months, Microsoft may have to resort to new strategies to ensure Windows 10 continues to be picked up by legacy Windows users.