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Windows 10: The anti-Windows 8

Updated Dec 19th, 2018 9:04PM EST
Windows 10 Vs. Windows 8 Adoption
Image: Microsoft

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While we’re heard plenty of complaints about Windows 10 when it comes to Microsoft’s privacy policies, that hasn’t stopped people from installing the new software on their PCs at a truly impressive rate. The newest data from NetMarketShare shows that Windows 10 has already been installed on 5.2% of desktop computers, which is all the more remarkable when you consider Windows 10 had a market share of 0.0% just one month earlier.

RELATED: Windows 10 is the smash hit Microsoft badly needed

Yes, it helps that Windows 10 is a free upgrade for Windows 7 and Windows 8 users — NetMarketShare’s numbers show that both older operating systems lost market share over the past month, which indicates Microsoft has done a good job of pitching the software to longtime users. But even so, let’s just compare this to the launch of Windows 8 where it accounted for under 2% of desktop computers two full months after its launch in 2013.

PCWorld also cites some numbers from StatCounter that show Windows 10 adoption has outpaced Windows 7 adoption when it was first released. Again, it greatly helps that Windows 10 is a free upgrade but we should also remember that people once flocked to Windows 7 in droves to escape the disaster that was Vista. And once again, we see that Windows 8’s adoption rate was pitifully low in the early days.

Brad Reed
Brad Reed Staff Writer

Brad Reed has written about technology for over eight years at BGR.com and Network World. Prior to that, he wrote freelance stories for political publications such as AlterNet and the American Prospect. He has a Master's Degree in Business and Economics Journalism from Boston University.