Remember that time when Terry Myerson, Microsoft’s Executive Vice President, boldly claimed that there would be one billion Windows 10 devices by mid-2018? Well, it seems that the company has now given up hope on accomplishing that goal in time.
This comes as a bit of a surprise especially when one considers that the one billion Windows 10 installations goal would not only account for desktop and laptop users, but also those with Windows tablets, phones, the Xbox One console, and other IoT devices running Windows 10. Not to mention the fact that Windows 10 is currently the most popular operating system on Steam.
Microsoft mentioned that the reason behind this is due to the fact that the company is currently focusing on its phone hardware business; which it hopes will affect the number of Windows 10 installations. That said, Microsoft still remains confident that Windows 10 will be in one billion “monthly active devices” eventually.
It seems that Microsoft’s free Windows 10 upgrade program for Windows 7 and Windows 8 users wasn’t sufficient enough to boost the number of Windows 10 installations. The upgrade program is set to end on the 29th of July, and that wouldn’t do Microsoft any favours either.
However, one shouldn’t overlook at the fact that Microsoft had achieved over 350 million Windows 10 installations just a year after its initial release to the general public. Despite not being able to reach its installation goals by mid-2018, the amount of users using Windows 10 still makes for one very impressive achievement by Microsoft.
