Microsoft had a great 2018, ending off the year as the world’s most valuable company. Now, it’s newest operating system — Windows 10 — is the most popular operating system in the world as well.
According to data by Net Applications, Windows 10’s market share surpassed Windows 7 in December 2018. Windows 10 clocked in at 39.22 percent compared to 7’s 36.90 percent.
Those numbers are a testament to how popular Windows 7 still is nearly a decade after its release. Windows 10, meanwhile, has taken three and a half years to reach that level of adoption.
Net Applications’ numbers also mean that Microsoft is closer to achieving its goal of getting Windows 10 on a billion devices. The OS currently runs on more than 700 million devices, including PCs, tablets, phones and Xbox One consoles.
Windows 10 taking over as the world’s most popular OS comes at a crucial time for Microsoft.
Windows 7’s extended support is set to end on January 14th, 2020. Knowing Windows 10 is the more popular version of Windows could help Microsoft convince businesses to upgrade to 10 instead of opting for the Extended Security Updates (ESU) program for Windows 7 next year.
Source: Net Applications Via: The Verge
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