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Despite the demise of Windows 10 support in mid-October, close to a billion PCs may still be running the outdated OS.
According to November stats from StatCounter, Windows 10 still has 42.62% of the global market share while Windows 11 has 53.79%. In the US, the gap is slightly wider at 62.28% for Windows 11 and 34.75% for Windows 10.
(Credit: StatCounter)During a recent earnings call, Dell COO and Vice Chairman Jeffrey Clarke said that the transition from Windows 10 to Windows 11 is proceeding at a slower pace than previous OS upgrades. "We have about 500 million [PCs] capable of running Windows 11 that haven't been upgraded. And we have another 500 million that are four years old that can't run Windows 11."
Stricter hardware requirements for Windows 11 mean that many people's PCs can't handle an upgrade from Windows 10. Microsoft threw them a bone with its Extended Security Updates (ESU) program, which will provide security upgrades until October 2026. Without it, hundreds of millions of users are unprotected against the latest malware and exploits.
Windows 11 only surpassed Windows 10 in popularity earlier this year, and Microsoft's efforts to encourage people to upgrade or purchase a new Windows 11 PC have barely moved the needle.
According to research firm IDC, PC shipments to the Americas grew only 1% year-over-year in Q3. Those findings echoed an earlier report from rival research firm Canalys, which found that the end of support for Windows 10 failed to generate a major uptick in PC demand in the US.
Valve's most recent Steam hardware survey, which details the types of computer software its customers are using, also found that over 31% of the Steam user base is on Windows 10.
Dell's Clarke acknowledged that next year's PC outlook is flat, but argued that there is "ample opportunity to convert" the Windows 11 holdouts, particularly with AI PCs.
It was rather optimistic of Microsoft to expect every Windows 10 user to switch to Windows 11, even though it has provided more than a decade of support. (After all, approximately 3% of global users are still on Windows 7.) However, it's still surprising that Microsoft didn't delay the end-of-life switch, even if only for security reasons. Instead, its forced obsolescence has made the world of Windows PCs a far less secure place.
If you have a Windows 10 PC that's currently unsecured, consider disconnecting it from the internet. That will protect it from any attacks or malware infections and allow you to continue to use it as a local-only machine.
Alternatively, you can get the ESU benefits for free if you're a OneDrive user, have Rewards points to spare, or reside in the EU. Otherwise, it's a flat $30 fee.