back to article Windows 10 market share growth slows to just ten per cent

Windows 10 now has 5.95 per cent of the desktop operating systems market, according to the folks at StatCounter. There's good news and bad news in that result,. The good is that StatCounter has revised its figure for Windows 10 market share in the week of August 10 to 16. Last week, the outfit said Redmond's latest had won 4. …

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  1. Shadow Systems

    Dear Microsoft, good luck with that.

    Between your privacy nightmare, security hell, personal files uploading to MS HQ, deeming devices "incompatible" on a whim, and minimal compatibility with Assistive Technology that is a *Must Work* function for *Everything* in the OS not just the parts you feel like allowing accessibility, there's no way in bloody hell I'll be "upgrading" any time soon if ever.

    I'll stick to Win7Pro64 until you EOL it, then either examine your not-really-Windows-Eleven post-Windows-10 offering, determine if you've decided to shaft us again, & then either switch to Apple or Linux (if the Screen Reader works).

    Whomever came up with the privacy policy needs to be taken out front of the MS HQ & stood up against a wall for the firing squad. The privacy policy needs to change *NOW* to default to giving it back to us, not an "Opt Out" bullshit.

    Whomever decided the shove-it-down-our-throats Windows Update policy was a good one needs to be right beside the other bastards for the firing squad. If your update (that you refuse to let us know WTF it does) breaks my system, I have no way of restoring it to a useable condition since there's no Screen Reader for a BIOS, POST screen, or pre-OS-load environment to allow me to repair the system. So *I* have to determine if your update is good for my machine, if it works with my Screen Reader, and if it doesn't then reject it as Not Gonna Happen. Merely defering it for a few months is NOT an acceptable option, because if you don't fix the problem in that time, I *still* can't allow you to apply it, now can I?

    Get a fekkin clue, you brain dead bastards.

    It's *MY* computer, *I* determine what of my info (if any) I share & with whom, *I* determine when updates get applied & which ones (if any). Not You. It's *MY* computer, Not Yours. It's MY data, not yours. It's MY money that will enrich your competition if you keep up this level of bullshit.

    Now straighten up & fly right or kiss my money goodbye.

    1. Mark 85

      Re: Dear Microsoft, good luck with that.

      You also have to add in the new business model which is already becoming an irritation. For example, if you want any of the old standby games like Solitaire or Minesweeper, they come with ads. To get rid of the ads costs about $1.50 a month whether you play them or not. Methinks that just the tip of the iceberg and there's more news like that coming.

      Those of us who have been warning/curious about the cash stream for MS have slapped pretty hard. I hate the be the first to say it: "but there's no such thing as a free lunch". MS is going to pull some more stunts with this "free" upgrade.

      Cue the downvotes... form an orderly line to the right please.

      1. Richard 12 Silver badge

        Re: Dear Microsoft, good luck with that.

        Seriously? Ads in solitaire and minesweeper?

        They've gone mad.

        No corporate facility is going to accept that, and none will pay to remove them either. What are bored receptionists supposed to do?

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Dear Microsoft, good luck with that.

          >What are bored receptionists supposed to do?<

          That's why MSFT have included Candy Crush Saga in Windows 10, so bored receptionist can use the company CC for in-game purchases. Genius!

        2. LucreLout
          Joke

          Re: Dear Microsoft, good luck with that.

          @Richard

          What are bored receptionists supposed to do?

          The boss.

    2. pakman

      Re: Dear Microsoft, good luck with that.

      "deeming devices "incompatible" on a whim"

      Then there is deeming devices "compatible" on a whim too.... Case in point: a friend's 5 year-old budget laptop with 1GB RAM. I don't think so: it might run the new OS, but good luck with doing anything else. I uninstalled and hid the Win10 notification update, but somehow or other it got unhid and installed anyway. I've tried again, fingers crossed that it won't come back a second time.....

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Dear Microsoft, good luck with that.

      @ Shadow Systems

      You really shouldn't swear! Remember, pre-schoolers read The Register too! Hence, I'm sure, the downvotes.

    4. TheTrouser

      Re: Dear Microsoft, good luck with that.

      Angry man...

      ...is angry

    5. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Dear Microsoft, good luck with that.

      While I share the sentiment (taking out front, firing squad, etc.), a huge majority of users, don't give a flying fuck about "private". And if you say adblock's had 5 milion downloads, and no flash 3 mln - it's only FASHION that made them do it. If it became fashionable to reveal your most intimate secrets - majority would do it. And that's why MS and others don't care what you, I, and whoever else from the niche market says. Majority are happy to eat shit, and this is what counts (and count they can). Sadly.

    6. a_yank_lurker

      Re: Dear Microsoft, good luck with that.

      No new MS products on any of my kit and W7 & W8.1 will not be upgraded period. No new MSO, etc. I own the kit, I have final say what happens. Eventually W7 & W8.1 will be wiped from both boxes that have them (came preinstalled).

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Dear Microsoft, good luck with that.

        That's nice

  2. Mikel

    Windows 10 Mobile ought to be a hoot

    I can see it taking the world by storm, knocking the iPhone from the number 2 spot and trending to best Android soon after.

    Hahahaha

    Maybe on the Microsoft campus. But nowhere else.

    1. LucreLout

      Re: Windows 10 Mobile ought to be a hoot

      @Mikel

      I can see it taking the world by storm, knocking the iPhone from the number 2 spot and trending to best Android soon after.

      Hahahaha

      Ok, sure, very few people use Windows Phone OS. I am one of them, just getting that out up front, but my current plan is to swap over to Android next time out (80+% market share means its all over bar the shouting).

      Moving to a situation where WinPhone runs Android apps is an incredibly astute move for MS. The major cost of changing OS is that the users apps aren't compatible. Removing that stumbling block, provided it could be done properly, should allow their market share to rise. Any new app purchases are unlikely to migrate back to Android, so it could provide them some medium term customers.

      Android ate the lunch of every proprietary OS out there, including Apple. Any vendor that wishes to steal back some of that cheddar is going to have to offer a migration strategy away from it. Apple will have to follow suit sooner or later, but with such a low market share, MS don't really have a lot to lose.

      As a dotnet developer, Android was surprisingly easy to build apps for. It works really quite well, though AS is many years behind VS.

      1. Richard Plinston

        Re: Windows 10 Mobile ought to be a hoot

        > The major cost of changing OS is that the users apps aren't compatible.

        You appear to imagine that the apps and games that you paid for in Play Store for your Android will be free in Microsoft's store for Windows Phone.

        You won't be getting them free from Google for WP.

      2. Loud Speaker

        Re: Windows 10 Mobile ought to be a hoot

        The major cost of changing OS is that the users aren't compatible.

        FTFY

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    And how accurate are the stats then?

    Hands up all those here who have sites like Statcounter blocked?

    I consider Statcounter nothing more than a tracking site. sure they are tracking my OS use but what else eh?

    1. Mark 85

      Re: And how accurate are the stats then?

      Mine was only half up. Had it blocked in the hosts file but not the cookies. <hangs head in eternal shame>

    2. AMBxx Silver badge

      Re: And how accurate are the stats then?

      Yep, my Ghostery install blocks Statcounter.

      The 4 installations of Windows 10 I have could have made all the difference to the stats.

      1. BobChip
        Linux

        Re: And how accurate are the stats then?

        True. Ghostery also blocks the stats from the machine I am posting from - including the fact that it runs Linux. I wonder what the real truth is?

  4. MacroRodent

    not cause for celebration

    winning nearly six per cent of a global market in a month is quite a feat.

    Considering how it is pushed as a free upgrade, with an "update" icon pushed to even Windows 7 machines, that is not such a wonderful feat.

    1. bobgameon

      Re: not cause for celebration

      Even with the free upgrade its still a staged roll out with only devices with absolutely zero compatibility issues in internal testing getting the update according to Paul Thurrott. Plus viao has said its laptop won't get it by october due to driver issues. So six percent is indeed good and anybody who thought it would continue to grow at the same pace as the first two weeks was clearly kidding themselves.

      1. LucreLout

        Re: not cause for celebration

        @BobGameon

        Even with the free upgrade its still a staged roll out with only devices with absolutely zero compatibility issues in internal testing getting the update

        None of my four PCs has been selected for update yet. As I needed to rebuild my little notebook, it got volunteered for Operation Tethered Goat. So far I quite like the OS, but Edge is in all fairness, not production ready IMHO. Is Win 10 perfect? No. Is it as good as 7? Maybe... still haven't made up my mind. But it does reboot a lot quicker :)

        MS could have grabbed market share away from Win 7 and 8.1 but has chosen not to do so just yet. As my other laptop is due a rebuild, I'll probably go to Win 10 and live with the foibles - Small kids, plus full time work, plus long commute, plus further studies, doesn't leave much time for upgrades, so any kit I have going to Win 10 this year will be going this month.

        I consider a conversion pause after moving part of the market sensible. Work out the issues that are being reported then move on. When your next market share grab works out with few additional fixes required, then push it out to the remaining devices.

        1. bobgameon

          Re: not cause for celebration

          Microsoft stripped a few features from windows 10, like extensions in edge, to release it in July instead of the original October plan. Bad idea but apparently they wanted to be on time for back to school.

          Anyways lets see what service pack1(you are suppose to call it threshold2 or service release1 according to the new windows as a service model) brings to the table in october.

    2. h4rm0ny

      Re: not cause for celebration

      "Pushed" is one word for it. 'Rammed' might be a better one. It took me three goes to finally get rid of ads for Windows 10 popping up in my 8.1. installation. Tried uninstalling the update - it just comes back. Tried uninstalling and blocking the update - no way to block them on the Pro version. Well there is, but this one is excluded from the ones you can block. Tried a registry edit I found online - no effect. Found the GWX service buried in a list of services, disabled that AND applied a different registry edit I found, finally seems to have stop shoving ads in my face.

      Very unimpressed.

      1. Paul Shirley

        Re: not cause for celebration

        GWX looks like it uses the old trick of running multiple tasks to reinitialize each other if you try killing it. Particularly nasty is adding a scheduler task even adminn users cannot edit. However I had no problem killing it by just uninstalling the 'important upgrade' that spreads the infection and marking it hidden. Now I just have the chore of carefully checking every new update in case the bastards give it a new name :(

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: not cause for celebration

      Pushed indeed.

      As an added bonus, having eradicated all trace of the GWX malware, I found that HP had signed up to be the backup plan - prodding me via the "HP Support Assistant" to upgrade. That just added HP to my shit-list I'm afraid.

      1. Sporkinum

        Re: not cause for celebration

        Re. HP Support Assistant.. My laptop must be too old (2011). It doesn't throw that at me.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          @Sporkinum - Re: not cause for celebration

          I've had my laptop since 2011, but the create dates on the file structure indicate it was initially imaged in 2009.

          The Support Assistant is something that I've thought to be vaguely useful so I've left it in. A while back I read a comment somewhere about it prodding for the W10 upgrade but I saw no sign. It was telling me that an update was available, but I ignored that.

          The other day, while checking out with Wireshark what my OS was doing behind my back, I noticed a conversation with HP. Looking closer I saw an xml file being downloaded and, in that, was an item for Windows 10.

          I ran the Support Assistant - it told me there was an Important Message : "Get prepared for Windows 10!". Clicking that led to a page telling me all about how HP and Microsoft were preparing materials to help me make the transition. Yeah, right.

          So, that's HP added to the 'Do Not Trust' list. Gonna need a new sheet.

  5. Chairo
    Flame

    What did they think they were doing?

    winning nearly six per cent of a global market in a month is quite a feat.

    I wonder if the adoption of windows 10 was actually slowed by Microsoft's aggressive pushing it on it's customers. Pushing it in a bloody skipjack of a "security" update was perhaps not such a bright idea after all. I know several people who took it so bad, that they rather wished Microsoft to hell. Not a good way to win over hearts, but sure a good way to cause heartburn. Did they think most customers will give up after deinstalling the update the second or third time? Or did they try to distract from the EULA and privacy concerns of windows 10? Kind of, if everyone talks about the nagging, the privacy issues will be overheard?

    After the windows 8 disaster everyone thought windows 10 couldn't possibly be worse, but somehow Microsoft still managed to accomplish the impossible.

    It's really incredible how an actually rather good product that should be an easy winner is damaged by arrogance, negligence and greed.

    Flame - obviously...

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: What did they think they were doing?

      It's really incredible how an actually rather good product that should be an easy winner is damaged by arrogance, negligence and greed.

      I think that about sums it up. It really could be a nice product but for the consequences of the aforementioned attitudes.

      It was very good on my test laptop (vista-era dual core), far better than Linux Mint currently does (we seem to be back to the bad old days of Linux distros not playing well with certain wireless technologies).

      However, it would take a radical overhaul of Microsoft's attitudes and a new release which physically removes all of the spying/tracking/controlling shit before I would consider giving it another go. Despite the problems I'm having, the laptop will continue to have a minty (rather than shit) flavour.

      1. Chairo

        Re: What did they think they were doing?

        we seem to be back to the bad old days of Linux distros not playing well with certain wireless technologies

        It's a bit OT, but Linux distros never ceased to have trouble with certain wireless cards. Namely older adapters from broadcom are a PITA. If the wireless module is on a mini-PCIE card, it might be easy and not too expensive to swap it against something newer that is faster and has better driver support.

        On the other hand, driver hell is not limited to Linux, of course. It can be a challenge to find suitable drivers under Windows, too. And then you often have the added bonus of downloading them from a dodgy third party site that might or might not be adding a few "surprises".

        As for updating to windows 10, if you already have working drivers for wIndows 7 or windows 8, things should be more or less smooth. In theory, at least.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: What did they think they were doing?

          we seem to be back to the bad old days of Linux distros not playing well with certain wireless technologies

          Yah, I use an Edimax Nano, wonderful tiny USB adapter with a Realtek chip. On installing Mint it drops within a couple of minutes. Just time to go to: https://github.com/pvaret/rtl8192cu-fixes - run the code, install git, re-run the previous command, probably click disconnect then re-connect at some point, re-boot, thereafter wifi works perfectly! And it's been like this the three years I've been running Mint, be nice if they'd include this fix in the distro.

          I imagine this works in all Debian-based flavours, but no distro I've found properly implements the rtl81**. As for the Broadcom on my laptop, openSuse was the only one ran that out of the box. So I ran Suse on the lappy and Mint on the desktop - which actually suited me, as luck would have it!

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: What did they think they were doing?

          @Chairo - my problem device is Broadcom, not surprisingly. The thing is, I previously ran Mint 14 on the same machine and it either worked or I easily installed the needed drivers. This time, with mint 17.2 I went around in circles and decided to give up that part and plugged in a Belkin N300 micro thingy, that works just fine.

          I know there are valid reasons for driver problems (lack of open-source drivers for one), but I had got used to stability in this respect.

          That being said, I do find that Linux distros are generally far better at providing drivers (and just working when you plug a new device in) than windows. It's just funny that in this particular case Microsoft and Windows 10 proved superior.

          Anyway, the machine I'm actually going to migrate to is the one I'm using now, which is more recent and which Mint 17.2 quite likes.

          @Rotwang Gyroscope III - I can get very confused trying to keep track of which chipset in which machine works with which distro. I like the Belkin N300 as a last resort. It also works nicely with a Pi

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: What did they think they were doing?

            @ JustaKOS

            Ironically (I think. This is one of the times I'm not sure this is irony!) since Windows 8.1 - probably 8.0 too - the Realtek rtl81** drivers are included! After so many years it's almost unnerving. Maybe I was busy mentally cursing and didn't notice I was at a cross-road?

          2. a_yank_lurker

            Re: What did they think they were doing?

            I have some very old kit still works in Linux when there are no current (W7 or later) drivers for it.

  6. Robby-O

    At what cost

    As a WindowsPhone user (and by choice), I wouldn't consider being able to use Android apps a success. It shows you (microsoft) lost.

    It's either a sign you should be using an actual android or a nasty workaround to make WP 'good enough'.

    Just when MS have almost delivered a compelling set of reasons to use it's ecosystem (you know, by actually having one), they've shot them selves in the foot.

    To work, the Windows Store needed to reach the majority of Windows users. With Win7 holding strong that is not going to happen. Win10 was to offer Win7 users a step up and with it would come the store giving it the numbers it needed.

    The compatibility with WindowsPhone would then mean that the app-gap would close, and remove a barrier to it's entry.

    win-win-win for MS. So long as they didn't fudge both.

    Good luck, but I'm less hopeful by the day.

    1. Richard 12 Silver badge

      Re: At what cost

      They lost the phone API war a long time ago.

      It was lost before they even started, and they even deliberately sabotaged themselves just to make sure.

      When they partnered with Nokia, they could have supported Qt (at that time it already supported Android and Meego/Meamo). When they launched WinRT, they could have allowed people to develop for it under Win7 for free.

      They did neither of these things. They made it expensive and difficult to develop for their new platform - so guess what, nobody did.

    2. a_yank_lurker

      Re: At what cost

      The Windows Store, actually a very idea potentially, should be the only place the average user needs to go to get any applications for their PC or mobile device. The repository system in Linux works very well with the entire system being updated including applications in one go. It would help solve many of the security issues plaguing Windows.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Sadly

    The "Fail" icon seems insufficient to demostrate what i feel right now.

    It seems now MS have gone over a precipice and**nothing** will bring them back. Not even the voices at Redmond (there MUST be some) saying, "We've dropped a bollock Sat".

    But the powers that be are now so blinkered and focused on "selling" the dog egg that is Win10 I doubt anything or any amount of customer retribution will detract them from that...

    I look at Win7 and think, yes. I looked at Win8 and thought "Hmm, ???" and i've only heard of the tactics of Win 10, its propensity to snaffle EVERYTHING you do, type, say , watch etc and then upload it to the mothership and THAT alone is enough for me to happily bypass it.

    What i want to know now is if this mud child is about to infect my Windows phone (which i do love!). I will do everything i can to stop it.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Sadly

      >i've only heard of the tactics of Win 10<

      99% of what you've heard is bull.

      1. Paul Shirley

        Re: Sadly

        You've made the mistake of assuming bull refers to the truth of the tales, not the nature of the truth.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Trollface

    An how much ...

    ...has the FREE Linux on desktop gown in the last decade?

    What's that, Windows 10 thats been out for 2 weeks has a bigger market share than a free desktop os has gained in 20 years?

    (And yes I do use Linux and I haven't upgrade from 8 to 10 either)

    1. Paul Shirley

      Re: An how much ...

      If Linux installers were pushed out to most of the planets PCs as fake 'important updates' that might be a fair comparison.

    2. Pascal Monett Silver badge

      Re: An how much ...

      "What's that, Windows 10 thats been out for 2 weeks has a bigger market share than a free desktop os has gained in 20 years?"

      You are comparing an OS that has entrenched itself in public consciousness since the beginning of personal computing with an obscure OS that next to nobody uses, is compatible with nothing and requires a vast amount of technical understanding to get to use. It's not apples and oranges there, it's fruit and construction in Dubai.

      Oh, and before the penguinistas dive-bomb the downvote button, I will readily admit that Linux (in all its versions) has been improving the interface, the compatibility and just about everything that makes it useable. And I know very well that a hefty amount of websites and servers run Linux. That does not change the fact that people do not use servers, they use the services that are served by the servers (when you're on the web, you use a browser - the OS that serves up the data is not your concern).

      Unfortunately, these improvements do not help the vast majority of users since it remains a sea change from what they are used to.

      And, as Microsoft is finding out the hard way, people don't like change.

      1. anonymous boring coward Silver badge
        Meh

        Re: An how much ...

        "an obscure OS that next to nobody uses, is compatible with nothing and requires a vast amount of technical understanding to get to use"

        These are pretty massive exaggerations, to say the least.

        I can pretty much guarantee that you could install Ubuntu or Linux Mint from a suitably prepared USB stick, on your own, and get it up and running well. And use it with no instruction. That is, if you have ever before installed an operating system of any kind. And chances are you would be fine even if you hadn't any previous experience.

        I'm also sure millions of users use Linux computers on the desktop/laptop, which is pretty far from "nobody".

        Then we have the servers, which you don't care about -fair enough. But it's a majority of the internet being run by them.

        Then we have this little ting called "Android", which has Linux for an operating system.

        Perhaps not being so afraid of the "unknown" would be a good idea?

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: An how much ...

          Assuming folks know how to disable "secure boot or UEFI or whatever the fuck its called".

          As we all know ANY pc bought from a retailer with a preinstalled Windows OS will have that function turned on.

      2. Roo

        Re: An how much ...

        "You are comparing an OS that has entrenched itself in public consciousness since the beginning of personal computing with an obscure OS that next to nobody uses, is compatible with nothing and requires a vast amount of technical understanding to get to use"

        Unfortunately for your credibility relating to technical things, Linux doesn't qualify because it is compatible with lots of things right out of the box, and it requires as much technical know as a 4 year old kid possesses to use it (at least our kids managed just fine, but they continue to struggle with Win 8.1).

        Top Tip: You don't even need to remove the coffee cup from your CD-ROM drive tray or install anything to try a modern Linux distro and see what you've been missing, you can boot it off a USB stick instead...

      3. Richard Plinston

        Re: An how much ...

        > since the beginning of personal computing

        Personal computing began in the mid 70s. The most influential personal computer was the Apple II of 1978. The most numerous OS was CP/M - which also ran on Z80 add in cards*. IBM designed their 5150 'PC' (which wasn't the first 5100 series personal computer) to be just a bit better than the Apple II (eg 160Kb SSSD diskettes vs 120Kb) running a clone of CP/M**.

        Windows was a few years later and followed several similar and better GUI systems. eg Windows 1 was a year after GEM and was not as good.

        Nowadays the largest 'personal computer' system is Android (Linux).

        * In 1980 Microsoft's largest revenue came from selling Z80 Softcards with CP/M to plug into Apple IIs.

        ** MS-DOS 1 had virtually identical API and commands to CP/M, had the same OS structure and ran the same .COM program structure (.EXE came with MS-DOS 2).

        1. Pascal Monett Silver badge

          How delightful

          It is truly delightful to be reminded of all the things I, as a computer and programming specialist, know for the past 20 years. However, none of you have said anything that invalidates my statement.

          @Richard Plinston : yes, I know the geeky debuts of personal computing. But whether you like it or not, Microsoft is what made the PC into the multi-billion market it became. Talk to anyone in the street about the Apple II. I'll bet a hundred bucks they'll just look at you with a blank stare.

          @Mr Roo : and how many people know how to make a bootable USB key, apart from your friends ?

          @ anonymous boring coward : I definitely agree with your statement about not being afraid. How many people you know will actually reinstall Windows, not to mention a Linux distro they have never tried ? Sorry to burst your bubble, but the word "Linux" means nothing to 99% of the population.

          Gentlemen, I know Linux well enough to admire it, I don't need you to tell me of its many merits. But you are blinding yourself if you think that the common user is even going to be aware of its existence, to say nothing of actually trying it out.

          1. Richard Plinston

            Re: How delightful

            > Microsoft is what made the PC into the multi-billion market it became.

            Rubbish. Commodore, Compaq, Dell, HP, IBM, Apple, and dozens of others did. Microsoft would be nowhere without the hardware makers.

            > the word "Linux" means nothing to 99% of the population.

            Maybe not, but Android does.

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