New statistics from the much-trusted web metrics vendor Net Applications show that Windows 7 users could finally be moving away from the aging operating system in favor of Windows 10. According to the data, Windows 7’s market share of the personal computer market fell roughly 3.6% in July, which is one of the largest drops in the history of the operating system.
As Microsoft continues to push users away from Windows 7, this drop in market share is very significant. In months prior, Windows 7 still held on to its fair share of the market compared to Windows 10. In June 2019, Windows 7 netted a 35.38% share, while Windows 10 was at 45.7%. A month later, Windows 7 netted a 31.83% share compared Windows 10’s 48.86%. This marks only the second significant drop in Windows 7 share of the personal computer market on a per-month basis, according to ComputerWorld.
Switches to Windows 10 likely could be accounting for this 3.6% drop, as Microsoft is starting to alert Windows 7 users about the end of support of the operating system. Overall, though, Windows 7 share has remained steady over the years. Still, this month’s overall Windows 7 share of the Windows market is especially significant as it is a “number not seen since late 2011, when the operating system was barely two years old,” per ComputerWorld.
While not official, the publication also reports that roughly 61 million people left Windows 7 and 51 million moved to Windows 10 in July. That’s also a significant statistic, as Windows 10 didn’t surpass Windows 7 in overall market share until January of this year.
Given that Windows 7 still holds a 31.83% share, many users are still holding off on making the switch, but that’s very common based on Microsoft’s past. In 2014, when Microsoft phased out Windows XP, it still remained more popular than Windows 7 and 8. Statistics at the time indicated that 52 percent of businesses were still using at least one instance of the older Windows XP operating system several years later, in 2017.
With support for Windows 7 ending in January 2020, there is still time to upgrade. There are many great Windows 10 laptops and desktops from Dell, HP, and other brands. There are also ways to change Windows 10 so it looks more like Windows 7.
