Microsoft's 200 million 'Windows 10' 'devices' include Lumias, Xboxes
Microsoft has kicked off the New Year – and the run-up to the annual CES hypemare in Las Vegas – with the latest figures on Windows 10 adoption, claiming that over 200 million devices now run the operating system. "As of today, there are more than 200 million monthly active devices around the world running Windows 10," …
COMMENTS
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Tuesday 5th January 2016 01:54 GMT Aniya
Re: A reminder re: "Nagging Pop-ups"
If you do not wish to uninstall KB3035583 (as its removal is known to brick Windows Update notifications) and you do not wish to install a third party application (such as "GWX Control Panel") the following registry keys should disable all forms of Windows 10 Upgrade nagware and downloads:
[HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate\OSUpgrade]
"ReservationsAllowed"=dword:00000000
[HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Gwx]
"DisableGwx"=dword:00000001
[HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate]
"DisableOSUpgrade"=dword:00000001
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Tuesday 5th January 2016 03:23 GMT John Bailey
Re: A reminder re: "Nagging Pop-ups"
"If you do not wish to uninstall KB3035583 (as its removal is known to brick Windows Update notifications) and you do not wish to install a third party application (such as "GWX Control Panel") the following registry keys should disable all forms of Windows 10 Upgrade nagware and downloads:"
For now.
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Tuesday 5th January 2016 07:52 GMT Aniya
Re: A reminder re: "Nagging Pop-ups"
Yes, "for now." But in all likelihood most third party applications do the same. I've been trying to eliminate the Windows 10 Upgrade nagware for some time on a few non-domain computers I manage (mostly friends and some contract work for small companies).
While uninstalling KB3035583 is an obvious solution Microsoft have republished it once already (and in doing so it becomes unhidden from Windows Update) so it isn't really a permanent one. Furthermore I have noticed that on most systems the Windows Update tray icon goes missing if KB3035583 is not installed. This becomes problematic because we do not want to configure Windows Update to be 100% autopilot (for obvious reasons) but not receiving any notifications at all means everyone will forget to install updates when Windows Update is configured to "check with me before downloading."
These registry keys have worked for me as a convenient and lightweight solution I can mail over to anyone and it does the job. While Microsoft could make them redundant in the future it's still a lot less bothersome to be nagged once every couple of months compared to being nagged daily.
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Tuesday 5th January 2016 02:55 GMT PJF
ENOUGH!
I'm quite tired of all the MS Win 10 B.S.!
[RANT:]
IF I would (maybe a bazooka aimed at my crotch) want to up(down) grade to 10, I'd just do it on MY own terms and time, and out of MY pocket..
Win 3.0 - bought 5-1/4" disks - own pocket - MY first 286 w/ 287 co-pro (previous was an ATARI 800)
Win3.1(1) - bought 3-1/2 disks - own pocket - 386-dx; wanted a "cheap (serial)" home network
Win 95 - bought CD - try it out (kept crashing, poor networking)
IBM O/S-2 - bought 3-1/2 - own pocket - TRUE multi-tasking; not just pause one op for another... loss of support was the major failing..
Win 98 - bought CD(s) + throw-a-way systems - again, out-a-pocket; better networking
Win XP - DEMO/Insider - Bought MULTIPLE CD's + Systems+"editions" (home, pro) - out of pocket
Win 7 - Again "insider/demo" - bought multiple CD's + systems+"editions" (home, pro, ult.) - more $$
Win 8 - "insider" - didn't like it - DIDN'T buy it
Win 8.1 - got it for "free" on a borked system, better than 8, but still didn't like it
Win 10 - Insider - Didn't/DON'T like/want it - reverted to a clean 7 install
IF I WANT this steaming pile of dung they call a OS, I'll gladly pay for it - IF IT IS WORTH IT
[/RANT]
Now running Win 7/ Mint on dual boot - more Mint than 7(which I'll probably format for disk space)
Thanks for letting me vent a little...
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Tuesday 5th January 2016 12:45 GMT Anonymous Coward
Re: ENOUGH!
You paid for Windows, why?!
Only version of Windows I ever bought was Win3.1 when it came out, the rest I've got for nothing through various work places I've been in or through OEM copies that fell out of boxes, when they used to give recovery CDs. Granted I knocked off XP when it came out ( Devil0wn anyone? ), that lasted about 6 months until I got given a free OEM CD by a colleague. Certainly never paid for Windows for the last 8 years, since I made sure I got my mug into the MSDN programmes at the places I've worked and I work primarily on Unix systems!
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Tuesday 5th January 2016 13:00 GMT JMiles
Maybe...
Microsoft want to get everyone on the same and latest OS to reduce the number of platforms they need to issue security fixes for.
Imagine you don't upgrade for a while and then some security weakness gets discovered in your version of the OS and you become an unwitting participant in a botnet. I suppose the damage caused elsewhere would come out of your pocket since you were the one who decided not to update to get the latest codebase?
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Tuesday 5th January 2016 14:29 GMT Destroy All Monsters
Re: Maybe...
I suppose the damage caused elsewhere would come out of your pocket since you were the one who decided not to update to get the latest codebase?
We are reaching feudal levels of exploitation here.
"Didn't till the lord's land (which he so magnanimously bestowed on you) for free? You had the chance. Now PAY!"
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Tuesday 5th January 2016 17:13 GMT MAH
Re: Maybe...
I would only half agree with that statement.
I will put money on the fact that in 2018 at the latest, they want everyone on Windows 10 because its going to turn into a subscription model that actually fails to boot unless you have an active subscription for the software..which probably means shelling out $100/year/machine..if not monthly...
Subscription is the new model of Microsoft and since today we never own the software we are only licensed to use it, the license will easily be updated to reflect that the license is valid as long as the subscription is valid.
That is why they are pushing so extremely hard to get everyone on windows 10...the single platform actually only makes up a small percentage of that desire.
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Tuesday 5th January 2016 15:58 GMT Fred Flintstone
Re: ENOUGH!
Thanks for letting me vent a little...
Be my guest, I wholly agree with the sentiment. I even got you some help from Garry Perez in 2015's most upvoted post so click that and consider it repeated once more.
To be honest, I think this may have been the post with the most upvotes in the whole history of El Reg, which is ironic because it was first removed by moderators due to a lack of stars which were offending the PC brigade.
That rant is IMHO meme/poster worthy.
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Tuesday 5th January 2016 02:55 GMT Kanhef
Maths
11 billion device-hours in December using Windows 10. 200 million monthly active Windows 10 devices. 31 days in December.
On average, each device is being used for 55 hours per month; less than two hours per day. Of course, some get used much more than that, which means many of their 'monthly active devices' are hardly being used at all. Not exactly encouraging numbers.
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Tuesday 5th January 2016 17:57 GMT Anonymous Coward
Re: Maths
Not to mention those installs that are persisting because the admin (hello!) is too lazy to restore the 7 image.
You can subtract another 6 installs at some arbitrary point in the future since I can't seem to tame the "Get Updates" fullscreen un-cancellable nag dialog when GPO is set to 'Notify but don't install' and 'Only notify administrators' - the latter of which is being ignored, meaning users are getting nagged, meaning I'm getting nagged.
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Tuesday 5th January 2016 04:05 GMT tokyo-octopus
Microsoft watching you viewing your photos?
> 44.5 billion minutes spent using Microsoft's Edge browser (formerly known as Spartan),
> 82 billion photos viewed on the new OS,
> and 2.5 billion questions asked of its Cortana digital assistant.
And how, I wonder, do they get those stats? Apart from the Cortana ones, which presumably require a working connection to a MS server.
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Tuesday 5th January 2016 06:27 GMT Anonymous Coward
Re: Microsoft watching you viewing your photos?
They probably know who is viewing Pron piccies as well.
Perhaps this figure comes from Edge? All the images viewed through their lovely spyware packed browser.
Either way, it this is not evidence that Windows 10 should never ever be deployed in a corporate environment that I don't know what is. This is even more true is you compete in any way with Microsoft. How do you know that your company secrets are not ending up on an MS Server somewhere? You don't. Pure and simple. Then naturally, it won't take long for the various Government Agencies to get their hands on it, all in the fight against terrorism.
Look even little Jimmy's Cat Pictures can contain military grade secrets via steganography.
So nothing must escape their net. Won't someone think of the Children!
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Tuesday 5th January 2016 20:48 GMT Jess
Re: Microsoft watching you viewing your photos?
If you can't trust that they honour the settings not to spy on Windows 10, then how can you trust they won't install the same spyware on their other systems?
(And I'm not referring to anything they might be ordered to do under the patriot act, because if that is a serious worry, then you shouldn't be using any system that has an upgrade system ultimately subject to the act).
I am also curious about all the posts saying Linux mint and Windows 7 are both fine but 10 isn't. Windows 10 looks just like Mint (probably why I quite like it TBH.)
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Tuesday 5th January 2016 06:56 GMT Anonymous Coward
Dear Microsoft
I have several Windows 7 licenses which I have bought with money I have earned W*O*R*K*I*N*G. You may want to look this word up. It may offer you valuable insight into why people do not like 10, and may help to further explain the following.
I have tried Windows 10 as an 'insider', all the way up to final release, and I have continued to use it on and off since.
On december 31, however, I have decided to discontinue every and all use of Windows 10, and for the following reasons :
1. It does not offer me any functionality I require, want or would like over Windows 7.
2. You allege it is 'FREE', but it is not. You may not want immediate monetary payment for it, but you DO require me to allow you access to all use, traffic, email and other information. In other words, you want me to be a digital prostitute for a Windows 10 fix. I respectfully decline.
3. You want me to relinquish the few rights I still had on Windows 7 which I had legally purchased (see above, have you looked up the word WORK yet ?) for something that is not better (some may argue a lot worse) AND give you access to what basically is my life, so you can monetize it without cutting me in on the deal.
I DO NOT THINK SO.
Disrespectfully yours,
Peter R.
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Tuesday 5th January 2016 12:18 GMT RyokuMas
Re: Dear Microsoft
"You may not want immediate monetary payment for it, but you DO require me to allow you access to all use, traffic, email and other information. In other words, you want me to be a digital prostitute for a Windows 10 fix. I respectfully decline."
One question: when searching the web, which engine do you use? After a post like that, please, please please tell me it's Duck Duck Go...
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Tuesday 5th January 2016 12:25 GMT The Original Steve
Re: Dear Microsoft
Im fairly sure security and functionality (support for new hardware for example) are features in any new OS that everyone benefits from.
That aside, I fail to see why you'd not just use a local account, turn off the telemetry and not use the store.
The amount of rants about the telemetry in W10 is crazy. Should someone post that they hate the default settings in Ubuntu, they get a prompt reply to make a setting change such as changing the X server used or to disable the amazon search. Yet changing the default behaviour on Windows demands burning it with fire and swearing to $Deity that you'll never touch it again.
Change the telemetry, the you can enjoy the new security improvements since W7 as well as support for newer hardware and performance improvements (yes, W10 is faster than W7 on the same HW) for free without the 'prostitution'.
One assumes you only use GNU / FOSS, inc for mobile? Or are you happy being pimped out by Google and Apple but not Microsoft?
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Tuesday 5th January 2016 12:58 GMT noboard
Re: Dear Microsoft
"The amount of rants about the telemetry in W10 is crazy. Should someone post that they hate the default settings in Ubuntu, they get a prompt reply to make a setting change such as changing the X server used or to disable the amazon search. Yet changing the default behaviour on Windows demands burning it with fire and swearing to $Deity that you'll never touch it again."
Most people ditched Ubuntu because of their snooping, so the reaction to Windows 10 is the same. Also the big difference with turning the snooping off in Windows10 is that MS may turn it back on again without telling you, I'm pretty sure they've already done it once. Changing the Windows manager for ubuntu is simple and can't be undone unless you have your box open to the world.
Personally I've ditched 10 over Christmas as it wasn't very good.
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Tuesday 5th January 2016 07:35 GMT Nolveys
The Windows 10 Experience
A lot of people have asked me if they should upgrade to Windows 10. It's a hard question for me to answer as user experiences tend to be very subjective.
Luckily there's a way to sample The Windows 10 Experience without actually installing the software:
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Tuesday 5th January 2016 11:32 GMT Teiwaz
Re: The Windows 10 Experience - WTF?
Unwarranted number of D/vs for an attempt at an amusing pic post.
At first I thought 'soap in a sock', then erm, coffee and toast in a Prophylactic?
I still don't get it, but good attempt, clearly a lot of thought (and a large sheathe) went into its creation. Have an U/v (drop in the wind though).
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Tuesday 5th January 2016 14:24 GMT Anonymous Coward
Re: The Windows 10 Experience
I thought the picture was amusing, but I didn't really get the joke - so I didn't vote.
From the comment above I now realise, I think, what it means. I find it gross and extremely offensive.
However, that captures succinctly Microsoft's current attitude to Windows users, so have an upvote.
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Tuesday 5th January 2016 08:55 GMT Anonymous Coward
200 Million Devices
As noted in the article, this figure isn't broken down and includes XBOX etc. installs. What we really need to know is how many PCs are now running the OS for business/pleasure/academic etc purposes.
That does not include devices running the OS for test purposes.
I suspect that they are including millions of 'Insider' installations, which will artificially inflate the figures (especially as many insiders run multiple installs on VMs - all counting as devices).
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Tuesday 5th January 2016 09:36 GMT Pascal Monett
If it is indeed test machines, then it will be interesting to see how that number changes when the tests are discontinued.
In any case, it seems like MS is throwing everything including the kitchen sink to bolster its numbers. No matter, MS will survive a while yet, but when the new generation that has grown up on Android and Iphone get to the workplace, they're going to kick that bucket hard.
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Wednesday 6th January 2016 00:28 GMT Anonymous Coward
Re: 200 Million Devices
microsoft pre installed devices installed devices ready for delivery to eager consumers count in the figures.
picture of the microsoft storage facility can be found here.
http://www.forgottenfiberglass.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/30217/2014/10/24/raiders-of-the-lost-ark-matte-painting.jpg
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Tuesday 5th January 2016 09:03 GMT Anonymous Coward
But Xboxes are selling very well
Not so. So bad infact Microsoft now refuse to disclose how bad.
Ancidotal evidence from. European retal suggests being outsold by PS4 around 5:1. And in the US home turf its 2.5:1
It's sold so badly that it's beyond repair, as gamers buy whatever their friends have, and that is PS4.
Xbox one has earned its place on the Microsoft scrapheap, along with windows phone and surface tablets.
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Tuesday 5th January 2016 10:30 GMT Timmy B
Re: But Xboxes are selling very well
I did a quick google and found a few sites that say your 5:1 is way off and the worst is about 3:1. It's not beyond repair and a quick survey here (in my office in the uk) says it's about 50/50 including Christmas purchases for kids.
Saying all that I prefer my PS4 and it is without doubt the better performing system.
Surfaces are certainly doing very well.
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Tuesday 5th January 2016 14:05 GMT Roland6
Re: But Xboxes are selling very well
XB1s are doing fine, in fact pretty well
However, I expect they (XB1's) would be selling a hell of a lot better if MS had paid more attention to the real world and peer groups!
Most of my son's friends have in the past year had their Wii's upgraded to Xbox 360's by their parents, because XB360's and games are readily obtainable at favourable prices in the used market. Given XB1 is for most purposes totally incompatible with XB360, and that applies to both console-based and online gaming environments; why would I buy an XB1?
In fact once we make the decision to either not buy or replace the XB360, there is little to hinder us in evaluating the PS4, XB1 or wait until Nintendo unveil their new console... (Aside: Steam hasn't yet made it into the world of pre-teenage boys wanting to play FIFA and hence doesn't get mentioned.)
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Thursday 7th January 2016 12:01 GMT MJI
Re: But Xboxes are selling very well
Well we have 4 consoles under the TV, one I never use myself except to weigh myself, and one not used in about a year.
The not used is the best selling of all time, but it is old.
The rarely was the best selling last generation.
The two used are the replacement models for the first
None are MS, and I am not a fan of Nintendo games (prefered the contemparies from Sega)
So I am part of the PS4 success
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Tuesday 5th January 2016 09:56 GMT Anonymous Coward
One not one
I suppose I am one of the lucky 200 million but at the same time not one.
Last autumn I backed up my main work PC Windows 7 installation using Macrium Reflect and proceeded with the "upgrade" to Windows 10 (using the offline ISO method). This wasn't a test to see if it worked (plenty of others have done that) it was to establish whether it could be a realistic working system for me; that I could seamlessly move my working arrangements from Win7 to Win10 in much the same way as I did from XP to Win7. I would accept a bit of change but in the relationship with my desktop friends I am the customer and they are the supplier.
It worked OK but the UI is still targeted at touch screens, tablets etc. It was difficult to use as a serious desktop. It seemed to extend the Windows 8/8.1 line of development rather than be more like Windows 7.
So I spent quite a bit of time customising the desktop using both Win10 and external tweaks and in the end got it into a semblance of working order. Standing back to admire my work I realised that I had made it look fairly close to Windows 7. Then came the incessant updates and I noticed how much it was dialing home to Redmond so I thought "sod it - all this has been done for Bill Gates' benefit not mine". I junked the Win10 installation and restored Win7 which is where I am now.
So, I expect that I am counted as a new Windows 10 user (I had to create a Microsoft account and an installation id etc) but in reality I am happy to see that pile of crud go the same way as Windows 8.
Windows 7 will be maintained until spring 2020 and I doubt whether many of my network of 7 PCs will survive past then so upgrading now is pointless. In the meantime my Music PC and one of my laptops are working nicely on Linux Mint. It is remarkable how much better the open source OS is getting. Anyone with the time to spare experimenting with OS changes should lose their Linux virginity. Who knows, you may enjoy it.
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Tuesday 5th January 2016 10:52 GMT Robert E A Harvey
Re: Lies, Dammed lies and Statistics
Well, I would have done. I was planning to sit out 8 and build a machine for 9, when it came, but had to do summat sharpish and ended up paying for 8.1 as a distress purchase. I could not get an OEM copy of W7
If 10 had not been free I would have cheerfully paid for 10
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This post has been deleted by its author
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Tuesday 5th January 2016 10:24 GMT PapaD
7 and 10
Well,
I've installed Windows 10 on a laptop that is mostly used when I travel, or once a week for random bits and bobs. I've cleaned it up with classic shell and installed Spybot anti-beacon to try and stop MS from monitoring all that I do on it.
However, even though it works fine now, and I haven't had many problems with it, I doubt i'll be upgrading my primary PC (windows 7 desktop) to windows 10, I just don't see the point.
Oh, and installing Windows 10 on the laptop totally disabled my wifi connection - on a laptop that doesn't have the option for wired internet - Not a great thing for an install to do, good job I had a second pc to obtain the relevant drivers.
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Tuesday 5th January 2016 10:30 GMT Avatar of They
To summarise.
200 million people gave in to nagging or were forced updates or were sold in the usual Christmas peak as people bought shiny new tech that didn't come with Win 7.
...And I had heard the PS4 was a 4:1 sale rate against Xbone. Christmas will have inflated the figures I am sure.
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Tuesday 5th January 2016 20:27 GMT David Hicklin
Re: 200 million devices
I put win10 on a test VM over Christmas and after lots of exploring of features and settings I had to ask myself that I was on a sodding smartphone rather than a serious* computer operating system.
Win7 can run until 2020 and by then I will have chosen a successor - be it a Linux version or even a Mac (still can't believe I am even considering the latter but I am!)
*(yeah I know - its Windows)
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Tuesday 5th January 2016 15:07 GMT MrTuK
Interesting point !
MS says 200m on Win 10 !
Does this count all the Win 7 Pro users that migrated to Win 10 and then went back ?
Does this count all Win 10 downloads (sometimes due to failures Win 10 downloaded multiple times !)
As far as I understand it Win 10 had 120m users then suddenly after they include Xbox and others it is 200m !
As I don't have an XBox one of my biggest gripes with Win 10 was all the extra shite it included that I didn't want and didn't want to see on my PC, things Xbox, OneDrive, Calender, News, Mail (I use webmail) just so many stupid things cluttering up my Desktop that I had no interest in with no sensible way to disable without resorting to PowerShell or 3rd party hacks etc and that with Windows Update debacle and the whole data slurping idea made me return to ye olde faithful Win 7 64 Pro.
To be honest I gave it a fare go, 2 whole months of pain for me (I am a techie) yes I was an early adopter of Win 7 as well as Win 10, but Win 10 is just going in the opposite direction than I want to go.
I have a query which I doubt anybody will be able to answer about whole MS Data Slurping thing, So MS will start pumping adverts on the desktop like they do in Skype, since they have access to what you do, I wonder if you browse a porn site or Cars or Houses or dating sites if that will start pumping adverts for those on your desktop, could be pretty embarrassing if its a Work PC or if children are around when you are on your PC and MS decide to shove an advert on your screen of porn !
Will the adverts follow you from PC to PC and or Xbox - lol that to could be embarrassing on a full HD 55" screen - rofl.
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Tuesday 5th January 2016 20:38 GMT Colin Ritchie
200 million Win X devices? Really?
Where on the net can we find them?
Desktop Net Market Share?
Windows 7 55.68%
Windows XP 10.93%
Windows 8.1 10.30%
Windows 10 9.96%
Mac OS X 10.11 2.99%
Windows 8 2.76%
Mac OS X 10.10 2.23%
Linux 1.66%
Vista 1.62%
Less than 10% share 6 months after starting a free giveaway?
Hmm, on the bright side less than 1% behind XP!
Mobile Net Market Share?
iPhone 19.41%
Android 4.4 18.65%
iPad 15.88%
Android 4.2 9.49%
Android 5.0 9.31%
Android 5.1 7.70%
Android 4.1 3.37%
Java ME 1.85%
Windows Phone OS 8.1 1.75%
Android 4.3 1.75%
Symbian 1.70%
Android 4.0 1.18%
BlackBerry 1.05%
Android 2.3 0.92%
Android 6.0 0.54%
Windows Phone OS 8.0 0.39%
Windows Phone OS 10.0 0.23%
0.23% of mobile activity, Tablets and Phones, even worse.
(Data source here: https://netmarketshare.com/)
Must be a lot of Xbones about then...
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Tuesday 5th January 2016 21:41 GMT JeffyPoooh
"Now can you give us a break with these upgrade screens?"
I have a small pocket-sized P720 laptop from Sony. Windows 7.
It offers Windows 10. Click on it, "This laptop is not support due the screen driver." Close.
It offers Windows 10. Click on it, "This laptop is not support due the screen driver." Close.
It offers Windows 10. Click on it, "This laptop is not support due the screen driver." Close.
It offers Windows 10. Click on it, "This laptop is not support due the screen driver." Close.
It offers Windows 10. Click on it, "This laptop is not support due the screen driver." Close.
It offers Windows 10. Click on it, "This laptop is not support due the screen driver." Close.
...
Dear Microsoft, please fix this. It's quite silly and making you appear daft.
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Wednesday 6th January 2016 03:45 GMT Anonymous Coward
This takes me back to the last days of Steve Ballmer as Microsoft CEO
There was one time when an interviewer tried to ask him to define what exactly is a PC... Ballmer then declares that every device is a PC: phones, tablets, game consoles etc.
I believe this tactic was done for the Vietnam war too: when you are losing or in a stalemate, reframe the paradigm, modify the parameters of assessment, and declare yourselves the winner. A clever media spin afterwards will surely convince the masses of your so-called victory.
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Thursday 4th February 2016 12:17 GMT Anonymous Coward
This:
"and 2.5 billion questions asked of its Cortana digital assistant".
of which 2.49 billion were how to turn the fucking useless privacy invading bint off.
Ask "her" for Alsager Leisure Centre, "she" will accept that but then find the Victoria Community Centre.
Utterly hopeless unless you want to end up in the wrong place.