nobody uses windows 11?

According to StatCounter, Microsoft Windows 11 has only commanded just barely over 36% of United States market share per the last three months. I'm being generous, because had I used the last 12 months of data, it would have been barely 31%. I know 36% isn't "nobody", but still, that's pretty low...

I switched to Linux about 500 days ago. No, I'm not telling you to switch, but the fact Windows 11 isn't the main OS on most PCs tells me a few things.

Windows 10 is still #1

From that three months of data I mentioned, Windows 10 trounces Windows 11. You'll see Win11 at barely over 36% and Win10 way ahead at 61%.

The Win10 end-of-life happens October 14, 2025. Some time ago I said to myself yeah, that's going to be when people finally dump 10, but now I'm not so sure.

Win11 was not good enough to make people buy a new computer

A big reason why more people aren't on Win11 is because of that must-have-newer-hardware "requirement" crap just to install that OS. How many people saw that "this computer can't run 11" notice in Windows Update? A lot. And did people run out and buy a new computer just to run 11 when they saw that? Of course not. There was no reason to when the older PC hardware ran just fine with Win10, so people just stayed on 10.

I purposely use an old computer because I'm cheap. But even if I were willing to spend more, why would I bother when I can get refurb Dell PCs for under $200 all day? Some are even under $100. Yeah, they all come with Windows, but I don't care. I'll just wipe the drive or install a cheap SSD and put Linux on it. Job done.

Win10 may stick around for a lot longer than I thought it would

If Win11 was at 50% US market share by now, sure, I could see Win10 being put out to pasture once the end-of-life date comes. But it's nowhere near 50%, which may mean 10 will stick around for a long time, even after Win12 is released for whenever that happens.

How long? If Win10 continues to hold the top spot as the #1 PC OS, years. Maybe to 2027 or even to 2030. Yeah, that long.

The only thing I can see killing Win10 is if both Google and Mozilla stop making a web browser for it. But I don't see that happening any time soon. If Win10 keeps its spot as #1, Chrome and Firefox will continue to exist for that OS.

Windows 10 is a safe bet?

Yes, I think it's actually a safe bet to stay with Win10 if that's what's on your PC currently. I wasn't saying that at the beginning of 2024, but I am now.

From the looks of things, it's highly unlikely Win11 is going to make a miraculous comeback. And as for Win12, eh... we'll see about that one.

Published 2024 Oct 29