PC users don’t seem to see the appeal of Windows 11, as Microsoft’s operating system (OS) is quickly losing favour. Instead, it looks like people are turning to the familiarity and comfort of Windows 10 again, even though official support ends next year.
Statcounter’s latest report shows a near 1% drop in Windows 11 users last month, putting the adoption rate at 25.65%. Just as many users flocked to Windows 10, which still enjoys a 70% market share. It’s perhaps unsurprising, given how convoluted the OS is nowadays. Windows updates are often buggy messes Microsoft tries to fix after the fact. Even the platform’s ex-developers blast its performance woes.
Interestingly, gamers are going the other way. Steam Hardware Survey for April 2024 shows a big market shift with 3.54% upgrading to Windows 11. Its predecessor is still the dominant party, accounting for over half the platform, but it slipped down 3.38%. Of course, Valve’s records only account for a small sample size of gamers specifically compared to Statcounter, which tracks users from all walks of life.
It doesn’t help Microsoft that Windows 11 is already prohibitive by making Trusted Platform Modules (TPMs) necessary. As the company turns its attention to artificial intelligence (AI) and shifts system requirements to match, it’ll block even more users from the Windows 11 24H2 update.
There is something of a cyclical pattern here. Windows 7 exploded in popularity and maintained gradual migration for the last holdouts. Next, Windows 8 bombed as people didn’t like the touchscreen-focused departure, and even Windows 8.1 wasn’t enough to sweeten the deal. Windows 10 then saw another boom, while Windows 11 faltered.
Of course, I’m not saying that Windows 12 is the answer. Even if the Redmond-based brand quickly turns its attention to a new in hopes of remedying the situation, it’s difficult to see a way out from the box it’s placed itself in. Any successor would likely need to carry the same preventative requirements to appease our AI overlords. At the very least, though, here’s hoping it stands down from the aggressive update tactics.