Windows 11 is closing in on half a billion active users, blowing past Microsoft’s expectations
It looks like Windows 11 has been much more successful for Microsoft than we’ve been led to believe, if some new rumor mills are true.
A report from Windows Central revealed that “Windows 11 is now in use on more than 400 million monthly active devices” and will most likely reach half a billion by 2024. The operating system has been around since 2021, which means it took about two years to reach this milestone. Compared to Windows 10, which had a larger market share in two years and now has a much larger market share, Windows 11 is clearly lagging behind.
Given the differences between launches, it’s much more understandable why. Windows 10 first launched as a limited free upgrade to Windows 7 and 8, putting pressure on users to rush and switch before the free year was up. Windows 11 had a much quieter launch and only supported a relatively small number of PCs (thanks to TPM), leading to a slower adoption rate.
The report states that Microsoft’s internal expectations were set rather modestly as a result, leading to Windows 11 consistently exceeding the tech giant’s user targets. This was also helped by the ‘Moments’ updateswhich offered users new features much faster.
TechRadar has contacted Microsoft about the report and will update this story once we receive an official statement.
Windows 12 could be the future
Despite how long it took to get there, 400 million users is still quite an achievement and Windows 11 could easily have done much worse. However, it’s easy to imagine how much higher these numbers could have been if the… several operating system missteps.
That’s hope Windows 12 is on the horizon thanks to him recently all but confirmed by Intel’s chief financial officer, David Zinsner, when he called it the “Windows refresh” of 2024. Once Microsoft officially announces this, it will be a chance for a fresh start with a brand new operating system that could end up as the next Windows 10.
A sign of that direction could be what appears to be a… back to Microsoft’s software roots. Considering that the Surface Event 2023 focused much more on software than hardware and that the event was preceded by the high-profile departure of Windows and Surface chief Panos Panay from the company, there is certainly some precedent for that.
Then there’s the fact that current Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is more of a software person, as his career previously took place primarily in Microsoft’s cloud computing and online services teams. He could reposition the tech giant toward strengthening its software, which could lead to a much improved Windows 12 and beyond.