Microsoft will keep supporting Windows 10's 1.3 billion users despite Windows 11's impending...

[Polycount]

Forward-looking: The tech world can't stop talking about Windows 11 as of late. Critics and fans alike have whiled away the hours by discussing the upcoming OS' various changes and improvements, such as a "sweeping visual rejuvenation" for its UI, a reworked Start menu, smarter window snapping, "Windows Widgets," and more. However, Microsoft has some good news for those of you that have no intention of "upgrading" any time soon: Windows 10 will continue to be supported.

You might be thinking "Well, duh," and we wouldn't blame you for such a reaction. Since Windows 10 has around 1.3 billion users as of writing -- Microsoft's numbers -- and is easily the company's most popular OS (after slowly killing off Windows 7), it's not exactly a shocker that it would want to keep maintaining the software for the foreseeable future.

However, this is apparently big enough news that Microsoft felt the need to draw attention to it in the latest Windows 10 feature update blog post.

"While we are excited for the next generation of Windows with Windows 11, we are also focused on supporting the more than 1.3 billion monthly active devices on Windows 10," the company states at the beginning of the post. "...Windows continues to play an important role in people's lives as they continue to work, learn and have fun in hybrid and remote environments."

While it's good to know that Microsoft has no intentions of abandoning such a massive segment of its userbase (which will inevitably dwindle somewhat with the release of Windows 11) -- at least for the time being -- it's also mildly concerning that it needed to be clarified. Was Windows 10's ongoing support ever in question?

That aside, the rest of the Windows 10 21H2 feature update post isn't particularly interesting (Microsoft calls its contents "scoped"). However, to rattle off a few bullet points, the update will include WPA3 H2E "standards support" for enhanced Wi-Fi security, simple passwordless deployment models for Windows Hello for Business, and, more notably, GPU compute support in the Windows Subsystem for Linux (as well as Azure IoT Edge for Linux on Windows).

Microsoft says Windows Insider Program members whose devices do not meet the requirements to test drive Windows 11 have been moved from the Beta channel to the "Release Preview" channel, where they will be able to continue experimenting with new improvements to Windows 10.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/90474-microsoft-vows-keep-upporting-more-than-1-billion.html

 

[psycros]

I'm calling it now: Windows 11 will be the slowest adoption of a new version ever. That's as it should be because the hard sell for using a Microsoft account is downright offensive in Windows 11. It deserves to rot on the vine.

 

[punctualturn]

In my case, if SteamOS 3.0 allows me to play all my games plus whatever I get from Xbox GamePass, my gaming PC wont be getting any Windows at all.

If I need Windows for anything, it will be in a VM in one of my servers.

 

[madboyv1]

There's the fact that there are many systems running windows 10 that do not have TPM2.0 or secure boot (the later disabled on purpose or not available entirely), They're not going to abandon that sizeable chunk of devices for a long while. Heck, Win10's retirement date isn't until 10/14/2025, and even then there will likely be a couple years of extended security updates.

 

[Dimitriid]

The better question is whenever Microsoft can make lighting strike twice in a row: The adoption rate for Windows 10 is unprecedented but with that huge user base comes inertia to avoid upgrading to 11 unlike anything they've seen before.

Remember the resistance of people to adopt Vista and wanting to remain on XP? or to adopt 8 wanting to remain on 7?

On 10 they seemingly cracked the formula by going "Don't focus on making money, focus on just giving it to as many customers as possible as a straight forward upgrade" And I suspect that worked wonderfully for adoption rate.

So, whomever thought it was a good idea to introduce requirements like TPM 2.0 really should reconsider and figure out that out of those 1.3 billion users, 1.299 billion probably will never update to 11 if they find a roadblock like "You don't have TPM 2.0 on this machine!" and while it is commonplace on many rigs, not nearly enough to get a huge chunk of people just not upgrading because Microsoft doesn't wants them to.

That will hurt their 11 adoption rates. And if I was to guess, that will hurt them *A LOT*

 

[Kosmoz]

I'm calling it now: Windows 11 will be the slowest adoption of a new version ever. That's as it should be because the hard sell for using a Microsoft account is downright offensive in Windows 11. It deserves to rot on the vine.

The only thing that would "force" me to move to Win11 is if the long awaited MS Direct Storage feature on DX 12 Ultimate only works exclusively on it.

Considering PS5 is paving a new generation of games with it's SSD+IO and all that jazz, MS's version is Direct Storage (or XB Velocity Arch. on console), but so far we have not seen MS's version in action and at their full potential.

I suspect 1-2 years from now we will see this on PC too and that's when Win11 will be "obligatory" for gamers.

 

[punctualturn]

The better question is whenever Microsoft can make lighting strike twice in a row: The adoption rate for Windows 10 is unprecedented

Maybe you forgot, but people resisted to this push and MS retaliated in such a way that they were accused of acting like a virus-pushing botnet.

 

[Tantor]

I recently went on a virtual Win OS kick. I installed Win3.1 in Dosbox, WinXP and Win7 in Virtualbox. I have a bunch of nifty 1990's programs that don't run in Win10, such as Mathcad, Working Model, Algor.

So now Win10 will end up in Virtualbox too.

 

[Kosmoz]

The only thing that would "force" me to move to Win11 is if the long awaited MS Direct Storage feature on DX 12 Ultimate only works exclusively on it.

So it looks like MS is supporting DS in Win10 too! So I don't need to worry about that, great.
DirectStorage Developer Preview Out Now on PC, Supports Windows 10 Too

 

[Nobina]

Microsofts "support" is the last thing I need.

 

[Ean Mogg]

I've got a touchscreen PC which has the newest tmb thingy, so I knew this but when I used the program to find out if my PC was compatible but to my surprise failed...wtf, Yes it failed on would you believe what it failed on.. The CPU! Yes intel cpu! It seems it came out with a problem ffs, but it works ok for windows 10 yeah ok working on windows 10 but not 11....sigh,,,, so if you have a J3355 Apollo Lake your Screwed.

 

[Geralt]

The only thing that would "force" me to move to Win11 is if the long awaited MS Direct Storage feature on DX 12 Ultimate only works exclusively on it.

Considering PS5 is paving a new generation of games with it's SSD+IO and all that jazz, MS's version is Direct Storage (or XB Velocity Arch. on console), but so far we have not seen MS's version in action and at their full potential.

I suspect 1-2 years from now we will see this on PC too and that's when Win11 will be "obligatory" for gamers.

Not anymore. It will be available for Windows 10 too.

 

[Danny101]

While a lot of people will move to 11 being shiny and new, I suspect a lot more simply won't due to familiarity with Windows 10. If it's not broke, why fix it? Or why run a risk of losing your stuff to an untested OS? As if 10 is tested? It's the choice between the devil you know versus the one you don't. Most Windows 11 PC's will probably be the newly the purchased ones with it already installed.

 

[Kosmoz]

Not anymore. It will be available for Windows 10 too.

I just said that 3 posts above yours...

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Not anymore. It will be available for Windows 10 too.

But you're missing out on the MASSIVE SPEEDS* that the new OS filesystem stack will provide for you

*(approx. 5-6MB/s)

 

[Jblazsek]

I'm calling it now: Windows 11 will be the slowest adoption of a new version ever. That's as it should be because the hard sell for using a Microsoft account is downright offensive in Windows 11. It deserves to rot on the vine.

I'm calling it now: Windows 11 will be the slowest adoption of a new version ever. That's as it should be because the hard sell for using a Microsoft account is downright offensive in Windows 11. It deserves to rot on the vine.

Well Windows 11 will be an Update and the ones that can run will see it in updates.

 

[Jblazsek]

The better question is whenever Microsoft can make lighting strike twice in a row: The adoption rate for Windows 10 is unprecedented but with that huge user base comes inertia to avoid upgrading to 11 unlike anything they've seen before.

Remember the resistance of people to adopt Vista and wanting to remain on XP? or to adopt 8 wanting to remain on 7?

On 10 they seemingly cracked the formula by going "Don't focus on making money, focus on just giving it to as many customers as possible as a straight forward upgrade" And I suspect that worked wonderfully for adoption rate.

So, whomever thought it was a good idea to introduce requirements like TPM 2.0 really should reconsider and figure out that out of those 1.3 billion users, 1.299 billion probably will never update to 11 if they find a roadblock like "You don't have TPM 2.0 on this machine!" and while it is commonplace on many rigs, not nearly enough to get a huge chunk of people just not upgrading because Microsoft doesn't wants them to.

That will hurt their 11 adoption rates. And if I was to guess, that will hurt them *A LOT*

Yes but the update of Windows 11 will be completely different as it will be in the Windows Update part of setting (the same place the machine that can't upgrade will get updates to WIndows 10.