Microsoft Windows 10 finally overtakes decade-old Windows 7 OS

Microsoft Windows 10 is now running more devices than Windows 7 which released in 2009. About 4.53% of devices are still using Windows XP operating system.

Windows 10 finally takes over Windows 7 (AFP)

Microsoft's Windows 10 has finally taken over decade-old Windows 7 operating system. According to Net MarketShare, a third-party tracking platform, Windows 10 has now 39.22% share followed by Windows 7's 36.90% as of December, 2018.

Microsoft's intermediary Windows versions, Windows 8.1 and Windows 8, have about 5% share. Apple's Mac OS X 10.14 Mac OS X 10.14 is running on 4.54% of devices, according to the report. Interestingly enough, 4.53% of PC users are still on Windows XP operating system which had released in 2001.

Windows 10's growth to majority is a big milestone for Microsoft as it continues to grapple with a fragmentation in its OS ecosystem and enterprises still clinging on to older Windows software. The company, however, has made efforts to push legacy devices to the newer OS.

Windows 10
Microsoft released Windows 10 in July 2015. Considered as the biggest-ever update to Microsoft's PC software, Windows 10 came with a refreshed UI and a range of smart features. Microsoft also announced it will be rolling out updates to Windows 10 in the future instead of launching new software iterations. Last Windows 10 update rolled out in December, 2018.

Microsoft Windows 10 had a great start with 14 million devices adopting the software in less than 24 hours of its release. The company predicted Windows 10 will run on a billion devices by 2018. Microsoft later admitted that it would miss the target. As of May, 2018, Windows 10 was running on 700 million devices.

Operating System Share by Version (NetMarketShare)

Operating System Share by Version (NetMarketShare)

Windows 7
Windows 7, one of the most successful Windows software, launched for PC users in 2009. The software was supposed to be an incremental upgrade for users. Failure of Windows Vista, however, forced Microsoft to overhaul the entire interface and add a bunch of new features. Windows 7 reached 100 million users in less than six months of its launch.

Moving to the cloud
Over the years, Microsoft has changed its focus from PC software to new age technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Azure cloud platform. At its Build conference in 2018, AI and related technologies took the centre stage with special focus on 'intelligent cloud' and 'intelligent edge' platforms.