Windows 11, Microsoft’s newest operating system, is experiencing much slower adoption compared to its predecessor, Windows 10. Windows 10, which is still widely used among users, continues to be preferred by both individual and corporate users even though it has reached the end of its support period. Statements made at Dell’s third quarter earnings meeting revealed that this transition process was progressing slower than expected.
Dell’s COO (Chief of Operations) Jeffrey Clarke stated in his statement that there are approximately 500 million devices in the global PC market with the potential to switch to Windows 11, but these systems are still running Windows 10. Clarke emphasized that this figure includes not only Dell devices but the entire personal computer market. On the other hand, it was stated that approximately 500 million devices could not be upgraded to Windows 11 because they were older than four years and did not meet the hardware requirements.
Windows 10 is preferred over Windows 11 due to hardware requirements
The stricter requirements that Microsoft introduced on the hardware side with Windows 11 prevent many users from upgrading the operating system. Secure boot, TPM 2.0 support, and limitations on certain processor models prevent many devices less than 10 years old from upgrading to the new version. Especially for corporate users, the complexity of system compatibility and software migration processes are among the factors that increase this slowness.
Despite this, Clarke stated that there is still an opportunity for users who can switch to Windows 11. The manager, who thinks that new generation computers supported by artificial intelligence will also encourage this transition, stated that a big jump is not expected in the PC market next year, but efforts are continuing to increase interest in modern devices.
On the other hand, Pavan Davuluri, the head of Microsoft’s Windows unit, made a remarkable statement last week. Davuluri stated that almost a billion people around the world “trust” Windows 11. However, no clear information was shared about what metrics this statement was based on. While Microsoft in the past usually presented data on the number of active devices, this time only a general user base was mentioned.
The fact that only half of the approximately one billion devices currently in the PC market are compatible with Windows 11 brings new sales strategies to the agenda for manufacturers. Artificial intelligence integrations, especially those that come with hardware updates, are becoming one of the main motivations to direct users to new devices. However, it can be said that in order for the transition to reach a wider user base, more flexible solutions should be offered in terms of both hardware costs and software compatibility.