Thursday, February 1st 2018
Windows 10 Finally Surpasses Windows 7 in Global Market Share - StatCounter
According to web analytics company StatCounter, January 2018 was the year of the OS world's "flippening" - where Windows 10 finally surpassed the old, trusty Windows 7 in users' systems. According to the firm, Windows 10 in January was present in 42.78% of the worldwide desktop market share, just a hair above Windows 7's 41.86%. Windows 8.1 stands as the ugly duckling, with only 8.72 percent of the market still holding on to that OS.
Now, granted, one analytics company does not a trend make; there are a myriad of factors that might explain discrepancies between different companies' estimates. however, the fact remains that this is the first time Windows 10 is reported to have surpassed Windows 7 in terms of pure number of live systems. Also to take into account is that even in analytics firms that don't display these results, Windows 10 is clearly gaining traction against Windows 7 - one needs only look at the trendlines for both OSes on NetMarketShare, for instance, to see that there's a clear, positive momentum for WIndows 10 when compared to Windows 7. It's only a matter of time until all firms report the same, really. Still, this news comes years later than what Microsoft had hoped for with Windows 10; adoption of the OS hasn't been quite as predicted by the company. Still, Microsoft's ongoing work on the software, clear roadmap and support efforts seem to be paying off.
Sources:
Stat Counter, NetMarketShare, via TechSpot
Now, granted, one analytics company does not a trend make; there are a myriad of factors that might explain discrepancies between different companies' estimates. however, the fact remains that this is the first time Windows 10 is reported to have surpassed Windows 7 in terms of pure number of live systems. Also to take into account is that even in analytics firms that don't display these results, Windows 10 is clearly gaining traction against Windows 7 - one needs only look at the trendlines for both OSes on NetMarketShare, for instance, to see that there's a clear, positive momentum for WIndows 10 when compared to Windows 7. It's only a matter of time until all firms report the same, really. Still, this news comes years later than what Microsoft had hoped for with Windows 10; adoption of the OS hasn't been quite as predicted by the company. Still, Microsoft's ongoing work on the software, clear roadmap and support efforts seem to be paying off.
62 Comments on Windows 10 Finally Surpasses Windows 7 in Global Market Share - StatCounter
2.) Steam survey is not an accurate representation of the world population. If you believe so, then you must also believe that 86% of the world population is running nVidia GPUs, 8% are running AMD GPUs, and only 5% are running Intel. Yeah, those seem like very accurate numbers for the entire world population...Yep, I've installed Windows 7 on few Kaby Lake systems. There is an easy hack to bypass the Windows Update block, and another to let you install the necessary video drivers to use the Intel iGPU(since these were business systems and had no need for a dedicated GPU).
Of course, most people are just going to buy a system with Windows 10 on it already and never care.
It's better in every single way compared to Windows 7.
Because 10 comes loaded with several programs unnecessary for the computer's operation with extremely complicated methods or no path at all, to removing them, especially for the average PC user.
Because they introduced mandatory updates (sometimes crippling computers) with no simple way to prevent or even reduce them.
Because 10 was introduced containing code that provides mass quantities of data to M$ with no way to opt out of most of the tracking, and that only after much consumer noise was raised.
Because I will not be updating my hardware for at least another year, and 10 would just run worse on it.
Because they forced thousands of computers to update to 10 with misleading messages.
Because I disagree with M$'s business practices, and I personally refuse to support them any more than I personally find necessary. I game on my computers a large quantity of the time I'm on them, and that keeps me from being a Linux buff. That doesn't mean I love handing money over to M$. So, the longer I can refuse to support them monetarily, the better I feel about it.
I would also point out that "It's better in every single way compared to Windows 7", is an opinion. With the exception of the final statement regarding my personal feelings, all of the above are statements of actual facts regarding Windows 10, which (excepting the "thousands" of computers, which can be backed up by anecdotal evidence in the media), I've experienced myself, and dealing with users on Windows 10 computers.
That all said, I was a Mac user for a long time... and I may just get another for general use. And just keep Windows for gaming.
So don't buy the hype about Win7 not running on new hardware or not recieving updates. That is just fear mongering from MS and hardware vendors to discourage from using one of the best operating systems ever built (because then no one will buy their new shiny hardware). Yes there are some CPU instructions or features like Intel Speed Shift or MS DX12 that do not work but none of those are essential.Hardly in every way. That is pink sunglasses talk.
Win7 is still superior when it comes to user privacy. The only Win10 edition that comes close is Enterprise LTSC.
Win7 is still best when it comes to productivity. Win10 tries to use paltry UWP apps that have fraction of the Win32 app functionality.
Win10 has horrible Store, UWP games are crap, forced updates and drivers updates wreak havoc weekly, telemetry can not be turned off truly in non-Enterprise versions, Win10 still resets settings with every major feature update. TLDR - when running Win10 i can never be sure it respects my choices and privacy. It may or it may turn an enable those setting behind my back. To add insult to injury i have to manually reset file associations to use Win32 apps of the included things like paint, notepad etc.
MS itself released benchmarks that showed 14 benchmarks or tests. In 7 tests Win10 was faster after fixes than Win7. In 6 tests Win7 fared better than Win10 and one was a draw.
Point is, you might as well just hop on.. If you're going to use Windows at all, it's probably going to be this way for awhile.
That is why, IMO, for the first time it might actually be worth buying a retail license to a Windows OS. Because, potentially, if you buy Windows 10 now, you'll have it for a really really long time. LIkely long enough to use it on several computers. And that retail license will still be good all those years down the road to activate Windows 10 in 2025 if Microsoft stays with the Windows 10 name. Of course, I also suspect they might catch on to this, and eventually just rename the OS to screw people out of their licenses...
If we went back 2 years, before the hardware limitations were put in place, the stores were not filled with Windows 7 computers and one or two Windows 10 machines. It just wasn't like that. It was exactly the reverse. There might be one or two Windows 7 computers on sale in the store, and 20 different Windows 10 computers to choose from. And the Windows 7 computers were Windows 7 Pro, with a $100 price premium over the same computer with the same hardware running Windows 10. And in a given day at the big box electronics store, I'd be willing to bet 95% of the computers that walked out the door had Windows 10 on them.
The market did not just change overnight when the limitations went into effect. It changed back in 2014 when Microsoft stopped selling Windows 7 Home licenses to OEMs.
People would still pay the $100 more for the price premium for W7 over W10 dont you worry about that, if the option was there they would go for it, I get it all the time I say yep its expensive at $200 for a Pro license for W7 but at least you get W7 and there more then happy to pay that little extra to get away from W10 and to be clear over here for W10 pro and W7 Pro it was the SAME cost, only when it has now become almost impossible to get W7 through normal channels that the cost for W10 has got less which then makes the Cost of W7 more but only by about $50.
The day W10 came out big places like Harvey Norman had pulled ALL the copies of W7 off the shelf, why? because MS told them too and said to send them back and they will get destroyed, this is directly from the biggest electronics store in Australia, that to me is just disgusting! and proves my point even more that MS just wanted to force people over to W10 first by getting rid of W7 (destroying what copies it could) and then later forcing people to upgrade because of hardware limitations.
The public wants 7 not 10 thats just a fact, but its how MS has brought it to the market that has made us the consumers have very little choice but to by a new PC that has W10 on it, good luck finding any of this kind of BS in the past 20yrs.
I dont think the consumer was very happy when they removed them when everyone found out how bad W10 was, people wanted 7 back even more then but they had gone, so to be honest they would of lost money as people refused to buy W10 and then wanted 7, silly move!
Of course, you can still get OEM copies of Windows 7 today from etailers because they are allowed to sell OEM licenses, but big box retailers were not allowed to sell OEM licenses. And even still, the OEM licenses were discontinued over a year ago, and they are still hanging around. So the demand must not have been that great...
Let's begin:
Here I am sitting on the sidelines and observing Microsoft yet again, taking their customers hostage. :mad:
I also know full well that this subject has been beaten to death for quite awhile now, yet I still see the same or similar arguments both for, and against, MS's latest "forceware" ( sorry Nvidia, no offense meant ) offering.
Seriously folks, I was one of "those guys" who held out "forever and a day" to upgrade from Xp to that hiccup known as Vista 64 ( because MS wouldn't enable support for 64 bit hardware for Xp unless you bought Xp Professional ), and suffered some of the same driver troubles that existed even before Service Pack 1 came out; and I waited until it did before buying it. What's worse is, we all know ( or should know ) what happened when Xp made its debut...Service Pack 1 fixed it, for the most part. But through all of that, it seems to me that there weren't as many complaints about functionality and overall "look" as what happened when Win8 came on the scene, which is when Microsoft found out just how many desktop users were balking at the changes in features AND functionality. I mean, trying to get desktop users to migrate onto an OS that looks and acts like a tablet is one thing, but FORCING it on people ( albeit in a different "flavor" and then calling it Win 10 ) with their shenanigans in Windows update? If that doesn't demonstrate their true intentions, I don't know what does.
I'll simplify it if you'll indulge me...I love editorials:
1) Get people hooked on your OS, by whatever means necessary. Mission accomplished, and round about the DOS days, IMO. Examples: Q-DOS and Seattle Computer Products: thisdayintechhistory.com/11/06/ibm-signs-a-deal-with-the-devil/
2) License it instead of selling it outright, thereby guaranteeing your company a constant flow of dependents, but don't let the customer actually own the software. Otherwise they would have more standing room to complain if it doesn't work all that well or if you don't like it.
3) Release an entirely "new" OS every 3 years, even if it really isn't much better than the last one, or even worse, make a bad one better by releasing it AS a new one. Example: Win 7 was what Vista should have been all along.
4) If your customer base doesn't go along with the " upgrade-every-3-years-like-it-or-not " program, simply embed a feature in your supposedly trustworthy update mechanism, to coax ( perhaps that's too soft of a term here ) them to abandon something with the features they desire, in favor of one that's meant to "bring them into the 21st century"...kicking and screaming or not.
5) Get hardware AND software manufacturers onboard with them by whatever means necessary, to add more clout as to why you should upgrade. "Software for Windows" anyone? I still don't know of all that many games that have Linux support, for example.
6) Force any dissenters to abandon ship or get with the program...did I mention that? I think I alluded to it in item 4.
7) Make it easier to go along with the program; jumping ship is a frightful thing, and we all know that there are so many reasons why we should sail on Cunard Lines rather than take a chance on White Star Lines ( the ones that sailed the Titanic in 1912 )...even though Cunard's Lusitania got torpedoed by a German U-boat 4 years later.
8) Buy out your competitor, again forcing any potential customers to come to you for their desires. Capitalism 102. Capitalism 101 covers basic rules of buying and selling, whereas Cap 102 covers how to increase market leverage. :rolleyes: Add to it forcing out your competitor, even if their product is a better one: Example, Digital Research. All's fair in love, war and business.
OK, enough of that. I think I'm out of breath. :laugh:
I love and use Win 7. Why? Because it's the best desktop OS I've ever seen come out of Micro$oft's barn, and they can watch me upgrade to yet one more of their OS's unnecessarily, when the sun never rises again or until they offer something *I* like...which isn't Win 10. I had occasion to fight with it on a lady's laptop once, and to me, it's little different than Win 8.1. Frustrated me near half to death, just trying to navigate the file system. Dear reader, I'm a desktop user, not a tablet user, and I don't own one of those portable computers called a "Smartphone", so making my desktop look like one isn't something I care to do.
I also use Linux. Why? Because it's the most stable OS I've ever had my hands on, and based on it's market share, it's not the first target that virus writers love to afflict. Linux Mint 18.3 is the latest, and "Cinnamon" desktop is very nearly my old Xp, all over again. Apologies to all you who might think I'm an old codger, but I've found something that, even though there's a bit of a learning curve associated with it, I like the way it looks, AND I don't have to put up with corporate shenanigans...EVER.
Gamers? You might want to stick with what the industry is basically forcing you to use, and every 3-6 years they will find some way, ANY way, to get you to do it all over again.
They have repeated this process several times now.
Windows 2000 was bad, then XP was the better replacement but was just Windows 2000 with a different skin. Windows Vista was bad, then Windows 7 was the better replacement but was really just Vista with a different skin. Windows 8/8.1 was bad, then Windows 10 was the better replacement but is really just 8.1 with a different skin.This line makes me pretty confident that you haven't used Windows 10 for any reasonable length of time. There is really nothing tablet oriented left in the default Windows 10 GUI. They moved all the tabley stuff to the specific Tablet Mode.(I know, how crazy of them!) Yes, there are still large active tiles if you choose there to but if you don't want them there, you don't have to have them there. The biggest complaint about Windows 8 was the fact that you were forced to use the full screen start with the huge active tiles. Now you have the option to use them or not, and having options is better than anything. And heck, if you don't like the stock start menu, you even have the option to go back to the Windows 7 style start menu. Don't like that? You have the option to go back to the Windows XP style start menu. And if you really just can't be bothered to move out of the 1990s, you even have the option to use the Windows 98 style start menu! Despite what diehard anti change people want to believe, options are a good thing! And just because they make the newest thing the default, it doesn't mean you have an argument against the OS because you don't like change and can't be bothered to spend 30 seconds to go back to the old.
The argument I have is with their business model. It leads by the nose, and we're all supposed to just go along with it. :respect:
With Win 8 or 8.1, I saw no real advancements over 7 in terms of usability ( quite the contrary ), only a corporation trying an experiment with their customer base. With Win 10, I see them trying to backpedal on some of the features and functionality that said customer base balked at, and then offering them something "new" as a compromise...but STILL designed to get my money before I am convinced they should get it. ;)
Would I upgrade from Win 7 to something new? Maybe...but give me something with the flexibility and options I grew used to with 98SE, Xp, and 7 instead of limiting me from doing the "power user" stuff I got used to doing. Just navigating the interface is a frustrating enough learning curve.
I'm an old computer builder and hardware guy from way back, plus people like me are the reason why the XT/AT platform is still around. :p
Face it, I'm set in my ways. :laugh: