Apologies in advance if what I wrote gets confusing at one point or another. Translating my thoughts from Spanish to English it's a little hard sometimes (although it's good practice). Also, I only refer to my experience on PC platforms. I don't really follow as much regarding mobile devices.
Most people who investigate Linux end up defaulting to Ubuntu or one of the variants, which are all easy learn how to use, actually use and support just about every example of hardware out there. It is a growing trend and for a good reason.
I was not referring to users, but software developers. I should clarify, however, since it came to my mind because of your comment, that it is also limited to my experience in a developing country, where almost everyone, from the government to the guy that just wants to play solitaire on his computer, uses Windows. So, in general, software development for other platforms is rather strange, and when it happens it tends to be for a specific, well-known distro (for example, Ubuntu 12.04) or for something that the end-user won't really see (the back-end of a client-server based accounting software, for example).
Regarding users, there is some interest in using other platforms, but lack of apps & games development and porting make it a disappointing experience sometimes, so some users don't really do a permanent switch. At best, they keep a dual boot setup, just in case.
That's not true. There are plenty of businesses than have completely switched over to Linux after having tried it out. They've learned how to use Google and realized that the money spent of Microsofts product would be better spent elsewhere and take time to convert over. Most of those that do keep one Windows machine around just in case they need it.
Well, here in Argentina, most of them (around 69%, according to a 2016 study from the BSA) don't bother paying for Windows licenses. They just pirate them (there was even a Supreme Court ruling twenty years ago that kinda allowed that, since at the time there was no law regarding software piracy). Of course, it's illegal (now) and dangerous (I got tired of telling that to my friends and classmates), but nobody cares until there is a problem or someone comes knocking, with an order from a judge to check for software piracy at work (due to our Constitution, nobody can do anything about software piracy at home, unless there is a profitable activity involved and someone gets caught doing it). And because of how slow the legal system can get, the BSA only goes after the big companies, who are actually smart most of the time and pay for their licenses.
Also, almost all software issued by the government works only on Windows (the few exceptions are all Internet-based, so they're cross-platform). That takes out any line of work related to accounting and taxes, legal professions and customs. Because of that, there is less incentive to build software for other platforms, if the target market for that software are businesses (although there are exceptions), since almost all businesses here end up filing forms and "doing work for the bureaucracy" quite often.
I have seen, however, an increasing amount of people replacing MS Office with Google Docs or LibreOffice. And already most (if not all) Internet-related service providers (web hosting, email accounts, etc.) prefer using open-source software. Although you may find Windows Server as an alternative.
Have you used Windows 8, 8.1 or 10? Sorry, but those experiences are radically different from everything 7 back.
People are tired of Microsoft's BS and are looking for change.
I used all three. My own experience tells me that almost anyone that had Windows 8 or 8.1 automatically went and and begged for Windows 7 or XP (I got that request more than once). And since Windows 10 has an actual Start menu, sometimes it surprises me how little most people could care about everything else (gamers are an exception to this, mostly because of performance and compatibility issues that may arise). Power users and IT-related workers are way more aware of any change in the UX, and they either take advantage of it or hate it.
Regarding Windows 10 specifically, there isn't much of a care for privacy issues, even less now that there are settings that at least seem to control how much data goes to Microsoft and third parties. Although I hear some people getting worried about it from time to time.
