Adoption of Microsoft’s latest OS is improving

Jun 4, 2018 09:27 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft originally planned to bring Windows 10 on 1 billion devices by the end of FY 2018, and while that plan failed, with the company itself saying that it needs more time to achieve this goal, adoption of the OS still improves at a moderate pace.

Most recently, the software giant confirmed at the Insider Dev Tour in London that Windows 10 was running on 700 million active devices.

Previously, Windows boss Terry Myerson said earlier this year that Windows 10 was only approaching this figure, but as it turns out, it needed just two months for the operating system to reach this important milestone.

At the same event, Microsoft revealed that overall, users spent no less than 197 billion hours on Windows 10, adding that more than 150 million people use Cortana across 13 countries. Finally, Windows 10 recorded 84% growth of commercial usage year over year.

Windows 10 still behind Windows 7

While Windows 10 is improving, Windows 7 continues to be the number one desktop operating system worldwide. Third-party data shows Windows 7 is the preferred choice for more than 40 percent of PC users across the world despite the approaching end of support due in January 2020.

In the meantime, however, Microsoft is pushing hard for Windows 10 to take over the leading spot, and while this plan advances slowly, it’s also supported by the addition of new OS updates landing every once in a while with further improvements.

The most recent version is the Windows 10 April 2018 Update, which is now being rolled out to users as part of a gradual release. It brings new productivity features like Timeline, Nearby Sharing, and Quiet Hours, as well as Microsoft Edge refinements and other goodies that improve the general experience with the operating system. Users who don’t want to wait any longer can get it as a manual download.