Windows 10 edges out Windows 7 in global marketshare according to StatCounter

Windows 10 seems to have finally edged out Windows 7 as the dominant desktop Windows platform as of January 2018. According to StatCounter, Windows 10 had a market share of 42.78% last month against Windows 7's 41.86%. It is not a huge difference but considering the large install base of Windows, every percent counts. 

Microsoft's free upgrade offer and a somewhat coerced upgrade process helped propel Windows 10's adoption but it still has some way to go before hitting the 1 billion devices mark that Microsoft anticipated. Part of the reason for the low numbers is Microsoft orphaning Windows 10 Mobile and to a lesser extent, some of the privacy concerns that plagued the OS during its initial days. Microsoft is, therefore, betting on the enterprise to drive further growth and has recently made its servicing timelines more enterprise-friendly.

Other Windows versions barely crossed the 10% mark, with the highest among them being Windows 8.1 at 8.72%. Windows 10, being the last version of the operating system, will eventually dominate the desktop OS market. The OS is all set to get modular to adapt much more effectively to various device sizes and usage scenarios.

While StatCounter's figures are valid references, there will always be differences in the data between analyst firms based on the metrics they use. NetMarketShare's numbers, for example, tell a different story. According to NMS, Windows 7's market share is at 42.39% while Windows 10 stands at 34.29% in the month of January 2018. It all depends on how these firm aggregate the numbers and the parameters they factor in for analysis.

For Microsoft and the end-user, all that matters is that Windows 10 has been accepted by the majority and should continue to focus on delivering a feature-rich, stable OS that can adapt according to the user and not the other way around. 

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