Statistics can be both insightful and easy to twist, but when the numbers speak clearly, they’re hard to ignore. According to the latest data from StatCounter, Windows 11 continues its steady rise, now holding 43.78% of the market share. This marks it as the fastest-growing Windows version in recent memory.
Microsoft and the challenge of updating new versions
Over the past decade, Microsoft has faced significant challenges in convincing users to upgrade to newer versions of Windows. We saw this struggle with Windows 8, which never quite won people over, and later with Windows 10, and now, Windows 11.
Despite popular belief, Windows 10 wasn’t without its flaws when it launched. It came with privacy concerns, mainly due to its constant telemetry tracking, and there was a major incident where an update wiped hard drives—an issue that was unusual for Windows updates at the time.
Now, Windows 11 is on the verge of surpassing Windows 10 as the most widely used operating system. It’s taken Microsoft about four years to reach this milestone, which is longer than with previous versions:
- Windows 7 overtook XP in just two years.
- Windows 10 surpassed Windows 7 in about three and a half years, even with an aggressive automatic update strategy.
This trend highlights a key point: the adoption of new Windows versions is always a slow, gradual process, even when Microsoft pushes it hard.
Windows 11 already dominates in the world of gaming
A strong sign of Windows 11’s growing dominance can be seen in Steam, the world’s leading video game platform. According to their latest hardware survey:
- Windows 11 has now become the most popular operating system, used by 57% of gamers.
- Windows 10, on the other hand, has dropped to 38%.
This shift makes sense, as PC gamers are generally focused on getting the best performance and are more likely to upgrade their systems frequently. However, what stands out is how Windows 11 has managed to surpass expectations, especially considering the initial hardware requirements that limited its adoption.
It’s clear that despite the early challenges, gamers are increasingly making the jump to the latest version of Windows.
