Windows 10 market share growth rate flattens again Windows 10's market share growth slowed in November, according to the two tracking outfits The Register has tracked for the last couple of years. But a new source of desktop OS share data has Redmond's latest doing rather better. The oldies – Netmarketshare and StatCounter Global Stats – first. Netmarketshare has Windows 10 …
Information collected by the government? Obviously this is all part of the damage limitation exercise and softening us up to the idea that US internet data gathering is actually a lovely beneficial freedom-enhancing thing, if we let them get away with that the probes are only a short step away!
No point being AC ever since the dentist planted that tracker last year.
another Research report that will say that W10 is gonna take over the world by 2016 or 2017 or ....
and that W10 Mobile will be the only mobile OS by 2018.
At some point MS might get the message that this is not the OS we the users want.
Quite when that will be is anybody's guess.
Except that it's doing rather better than OSX or linux, isn't it?
Amazing how you - specifically you - always manage to focus on the "poor" performance on Windows and somehow overlook that other OS's performance is orders of magnitude lower.
Nice pie chart though. Gave me a small "ChromeOS ruling the world? You'd think so from trolls on the Register" moment.
It would have been the OS that * this* user wanted.
Except that the devil is in the details.
There's so much about it that I absolutely hate.
Settings that are spread all over the place, often hidden for no good reason. (Even FFS creating a restore point.)
Non-removable apps imposed upon us.
Clumsy start menu that is difficult to organise into groups or folders, punctuated with those apps.
Adverts that can't be opted our from.
(And of course the pretty much unlimited skimming of users data)
We're also a little bemused by the fact Windows Server 2003 makes Uncle Sam's lists, but other versions of Windows Server do not
This might actually be 64 bit XP systems. They would report a 5.2 kernel, which the stats tracking might be mapping to Server 2003. What was marketed as 64 bit XP was basically 64 bit Server 2003 with the Themes service set to auto-start.
An alternative theory:
W7 is pretty easy to pirate and turn into a fully legit version of W10 and a lot of these are probably test (ho hum) installs.
As Gates classically said "As long as they're going to steal it, we want them to steal ours. They'll get sort of addicted, and then we'll somehow figure out how to collect sometime in the next decade."
And boy does W10 collect, it collects just about everything you do with it's nicely named “Connected User Narking* and Telemetry Service”
*For those unlucky enough to live in America, this is an old British slang word for spying and reporting, for example a "Copper's nark".
It's actually spelled "Narc" because you were a Narc if you worked for the "Narcotics Department" as a detective or informant.
Really starts common usage in the late 1950's. Later became common to refer to anyone who blabbed to the authorities about anything as a Narc.
>Really starts common usage in the late 1950's. Later became common to refer to anyone who blabbed to the authorities about anything as a Narc.
Nope, in the UK:
Word Origin and History for nark
1859, "to act as a police informer" (v.); 1860, "police informer" (n.), probably from Romany nak "nose," from Hindi nak, from Sanskrit nakra, which probably is related to Sanskrit nasa "nose" (see nose (n.)). Sense and spelling tending to merge with etymologically unrelated narc (q.v.).
Americans, they think they invented the world.
I had a look at the data, and here's the number in a nice summary table sorted by rank:
Windows 56.76%
iOS 16.50%
Android 15.08%
Macintosh 9.08%
Chrome OS 0.96%
Linux 0.72%
Windows Phone 0.44%
(not set) 0.29%
BlackBerry 0.14%
Nokia 0.01%
Samsung 0.01%
SymbianOS 0.00%
Xbox 0.00%
It's fascination that even on what we would assume to be a stodgy set of web sites as these, Windows is barely over half.
Here's some other ways of looking at the data:
Desktop versus mobile
Desktops 67.53%.
Mobile 32.18%.
By vendor
Microsoft 57.20%
Apple 25.58%
Linux kernel 16.76%.
Microsoft's influence has shrunk hugely, while for everyone else their increased penetration has been mainly via phones and tablets. It really shows that people who still think mainly in terms of the desktop are looking at a vastly shrunken part of the picture.
Although ChromeOS only has 1% that is quite a fast growth considering how long the other operating systems have been about. ChromeOS only got released around end 2009 / start 2010 and the first available hardware was only around 2011. So ChromeOS has grabbed 1% market share in just 4 years.
I am not advocating the ChromeOS is in anyway the best of the best and it has its own problems but overall I kind of like it. The only thing missing for me is desktop streaming for things like games and/or software on windows computers that is not available as a native chrome app.
Something like Steam in-home streaming (not just for games you know) would benefit the ChromeOS family quite a bit if there was a Steam client for the ChromeBook (without needing to install Linux in a rooted container)
- S.A
>> Linux kernel 16.76%.
I love how you claim the android stats to make Linux look relevant :-) But I'm not sure why you stopped short of adding the other billion embedded devices that have a Linux kernel to claim first prize. Other commentards have blamed MS for wanting to do the same thing and inflate their mobile numbers by calling them all "Win10". Still, if it allows you to drive their ~85% (desktop) number down to 56% by combining them, then carry on. (i.e. no-one cares one way or another)
A non-techie friend complained that everyone in her oldies photographic class are now running W10 on their laptops. She finds that people's demonstration screen displays are looking very alien to her - so should she upgrade to W10 to stay in step?
I explained the pros and cons (are there are any pros?). She emphatically decided to stay with W7 - but asked if I can do something to remove the annoying W10 pop-ups on her laptop and desktop PCs.
> Anything measurable? Or is that according to the release docs?
Performance is definitely up on 8.n, just as 8.n was a significant upgrade on 7. I don't have two identical machines to run metrics on but boot, application opening, application closing, you name it, it's quicker. It's also smaller on disk.
Functionality has minor improvements over 8.n (unless you're the type to vomit at the sight of tiles in which case they're vast improvements over 8.n) largely related to little usability tweaks like multiple file-copy dialogs with accurate timers, a Task Manager that actually kills tasks when told to without killing explorer.exe every damn time and better controllability from an administration point of view.
Like I said, nothing anyone here would care about.
Performance is definitely up on 8.n, just as 8.n was a significant upgrade on 7. I don't have two identical machines to run metrics on but boot, application opening, application closing, you name it, it's quicker. It's also smaller on disk.
The next version of Windows normally does appear faster (except vista). This is due to one of the following:
- A newer computer.
- The previous "faster" version was bloated.
- With Windows, a fresh install is always faster than a 6+ month one.
- More smoke and mirrors (lazy loading, less boring animations)
- The adverts say so.
But guess what? My old XP VM boots faster and responds better than my fresh Windows 10. Same hardware.
Functionality has minor improvements over 8.n
Yet still a lot of features that we miss from 7.
multiple file-copy dialogs with accurate timers
Behold! After 30+ years of OS development they've finally cracked it!
Like I said, nothing anyone here would care about.
Personally, I care about getting my job done with minimal fuss from the tools I use. Then there's the privacy issue - and if they must invade my privacy in order to provide these extra features I didn't ask for, then they can piss right off!
If they're giving it away for free, then you are the product. (Without me realising it, I could be paraphrasing you)
I'm sure that your XP VM does boot faster than Windows 10.
I'd also wager that my copy of Windows 95 would kick the shit out of your XP machine.
I'm piloting a new Windows 10 image to be deployed to about 10,000 seats via SCCM. Part of the build process is to use benchmarking tools for boot up - used it successfully to persuade management that the extra money spent on SSD's for new kit is worthwhile, and had the data to backup my claim.
I can assure you, that compared to Windows 8.1, Windows 8 and Windows 7 the boot time, and the time to desktop is vastly improved on Windows 10 - should those things matter to you.
Overall, I find Windows 10 to be a rather nice upgrade from Windows 7. The UI is remarkably similar to Windows 7 (things are in the same places - e.g. desktop, start button, start menu, context, Windows explorer etc.) other than the default colour is different.
I can't say I understand the complaints about the telemetry. I work in the pharmaceutical industry, so compliance and auditing is VERY high up on our list. Everything can be disabled via GPO, so from a business (or at least from an enterprise) point of view it's a non-issue. I wouldn't dream of deploying a new OS without a few months of in-depth testing and ensuring anything new is manageable centrally, and then configuring those settings.
Consumers, I can see why some people are pissed off - but again the vast majority can be disabled. Microsoft have a pretty good track record on using telemetry for just that - data sent to MS is error reporting, usability and feature related, as opposed to sending everything for marketing and profiling. But again, where compliance allows it I've always set my devices to send detailed errors to Microsoft as I'd rather they fix the issues than me simply moaning about it online.
- The UI is changed enough to call is an upgrade, but if you were to change the colour of the theme and remove the tiles from the start menu then it's essentially the same as previous releases of Windows.
- It's faster than previous (but modern) release of Windows.
- There's security improvements over it's previous releases
- Better support for 3rd party devices
- Additional features over previous releases (some excellent, some not relevant to me at all)
- Consumers will get all security patches, so all "IT experts" that thought it was a good idea to disable granny's automatic updates can fuck off and make the internet that little bit safer
- Built-in apps have improved massively. (Still some are rough, but vastly improved over previous releases)
Really not too sure why there is a so much hatred for Windows 10 in these forums. There's loads of rough edges (Microsoft Edge, inconsistent settings UI), but no more than I've seen in other versions of both Windows, but other platforms and large applications including from other developers.
I understand the privacy implications, and personally I think MS really should have made each privacy option crystal clear about what it does, and that users must opt-in to each one. That aside I think it's one of the better Windows releases, and so far appears to be a reasonable replacement to Windows 7.
It's the fashion of smug pricks who comment on the Register. You can always tell them by their own particular reality distortion fields.
Those who claim Apple's market capitalization makes them somehow more relevant to the world than any other tech company.
Those who think Google can do no wrong.
Those who are convinced that the PC is dead despite overwhelming evidence (and they're usually posting from a fucking PC).
Those who use terms like "M$" or "Microsloth" or "Slurp" and talk about fading relevance in a world where phones haven't taken over, Windows still sells for actual money, people buy PCs every day and Microsoft make more money than you could ever even dream of.
I use debian at home, it's fine for me but it's not fine for everyone. I don't dislike Windows, I use it at work. It's okay. I have an Android phone. I love the phone but the OS is frankly insecure dogshit, more like Windows ME than anything one would regard as acceptable today.
Nobody is going to take your OS of choice away. Use it, enjoy it. But don't pretend you're personally "winning" anything. First, nobody gives a fuck about you. Second, the numbers are there for those who aren't blind and those numbers say you're at best wishful thinking and at worst pissing in the wind. So lay off the pointless propaganda. All it does is make linux loyalists (like me) embarrassed by you.
"It's the fashion of smug pricks who comment on the Register. You can always tell them by their own particular reality distortion fields."
Yeah, they always bang on about how good the latest pile of Microsoft shit is, despite all evidence to the conrtary, the smug pricks...
> convinced that the PC is dead despite overwhelming evidence (and they're usually posting from a fucking PC).
You are confused. The 'Death of the PC' does not refer to usage, but to declining sales#. Any PC made in the last 10 years is 'good enough'* so the refresh cycle that used to be ~3 years is now stretched out to double or triple that, which gives a greater reduction in sales than any growth in new customers. Also, more users are switching to laptops, tablets and phones as more convenient. The desktop may not get thrown out, but it is getting a decreasing percentage of computer usage.
# PC makers and their paid analysts do not care whether products are used, they only care about sales and revenue.
* partially because Windows gets faster with each new version - the reverse of what happened between 95 and Vista.
I'm piloting a new Windows 10 image to be deployed to about 10,000 seats via SCCM.
Well be interesting to hear whether the enterprise deployment friendly features included in the latest release of Win 10 are really helpful, or not...
But I don't see the rush to go to Win 10; but then a few years back there was a pharmaceutical company who's CTO thought he worked for Microsoft and the whole purpose of his company was to be a MS beta site...
The project started over a year ago to migrate the last few hundred XP boxes to the latest platform, but the amount of work involved in the discovery and planning phases was enormous. Biggest problem was around legacy applications that were old when originally deployed about 5 years ago. These are niche / industry specific applications, some win32, some web based that are poorly written.
Spent a lot of time sourcing new versions of the product and doing upgrades at the backend (as you know from the same industry, each one has to be QA's and validated too which can take months...!)
Whilst we waited I took the opportunity to essentially rebuild the AD domain partition with a new root OU and created a new structure from there, including consolidating the GPO's - which were nearly 900 - into about 2 dozen which took me to Q1 this year.
Seemed silly to push ahead with Windows 8.1, which whilst I don't mind it, I think the users will be happier with Windows 10 (I think there's a smaller learning curve from XP/7 to 10 compared to XP/7 to 8.1). About 3,000 devices will be purchased new as replacements due to hardware lifecycle as well.
Outside of IT, the rest of the business won't be seeing the image until at least the latter part of Q1 2016, more likely Q2. By that point Windows 10 has had at least 9 months of use in the wild - so seemed daft to push on with deploying Windows 8.1 really.
Our development team are working on "Apps" for BI content in particular that will be pushed out via SCCM as a side-loaded application, as well as being accessible in the business store. Company seems quite keen on that for some reason, but this is driven more by BI that by anything else.
Will let you know how the deployment goes!
"Really not too sure why there is a so much hatred for Windows 10 in these forums"
I can tell you why I think Windows 10 sucks and represents a degradation from Windows 7 pretty easily. While some things are improved over Win 7, those improvements are pretty marginal. (Exactly zero of the new features like Cortana, etc., have any value to me so they don't enter into my thinking). In exchange for those, we get full-on degradation of much of the rest of the Windows experience: The start menu blows now, search is inexplicably even worse than it is with 7 (and it's bad in 7), there is a widespread loss in control over the computer you supposedly own (can't control updates, can't disable telemetry, etc.), we're stuck with a crazy "rapid release" cycle that ensures the OS will always be in flux, and will always be buggy, etc.
Basically, Win 10 is trying to make Windows on the desktop work like mobile devices, but the desktop is a radically different environment for which the mobile ways are wholly inappropriate.
To summarize, my problem with 10 is that it involves a serious loss of control over my computer. Also, although this is a bit of a side comment, Microsoft's responses to these complaints have also pretty much destroyed any hope I had that they had turned over a new leaf. This is the new Microsoft, same as the old Microsoft.
JohnFen
This is my view also. I'm not one of the Windows/Microsoft haters. ( Have a virtual pint)
I even have a Win phone that I'm happy with, too.
But 10! With all the strange design decisions that make managing my PCs much less intuitive and far more complicated I am coming to hate it. There is no reason, for example, to stop users dragging start menu links into folders of their own choice. Or to make moving the MS built in "apps" entries in the start menu completely unmovable. That just smacks of spitefulness. As does the way the descriptions of updates don't say anything.
It does actually feels spiteful in these implementations.
"but asked if I can do something to remove the annoying W10 pop-ups on her laptop and desktop PCs."
1. Download and Run GWX Control Panel - [Source: http://ultimateoutsider.com/downloads/ ]
This will tell you the state of her Win 10 update and give her the option to "Disable 'Get Windows 10' App" and "Disable Operating System Upgrades in Windows Update", I wouldn't bother with the others unless you are running low on free HDD space, this will require a reboot. But now her PC's will still be receiving automatic Windows security updates, just not the Win 10 upgrade ones.
2. Depending on your aversion to MS collecting telemetry from the PC's there are a couple of options available to you:
i) Scorched earth: Download and run Destroy Windows 10 Spying - [Source: https://github.com/zeffy/Destroy-Windows-10-Spying/releases ]
The disadvantage of this one is that it disables Windows updates, so you will have to manually apply critical updates...
ii) No uninstalls: Follow the 8 step instructions in the "Manually disabling Telemetry through settings (Windows 7, 8, and 8.1)" section of this article
<http://superuser.com/questions/972501/how-to-stop-microsoft-from-gathering-telemetry-data-from-windows-7-8-and-8-1>. Additionally, you may also want to follow the instructions in this article <http://windowsitpro.com/windows-10/how-turn-telemetry-windows-7-8-and-windows-10 > and disable the Diagnostics Tracking Service.
iii) Probably sufficient / What you can expect a non-IT user to do: Follow the first 3 steps in the "Manually disabling Telemetry through settings (Windows 7, 8, and 8.1)" section of the Superuser article which effectively disables the CEIP.
I've adopted the actions 1 and 2 iii) listed above and operate a wait and see what happens/changes policy.
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