Windows users are transitioning to Windows 11 at a slower rate than upgrading to Windows 10. Microsoft’s 10-year-old operating system, which has just reached the end of its support phase, is still proving popular with consumers and businesses. Dell revealed this week that about 500 million machines are capable of upgrading to Windows 11, but they are stuck with Windows 10 instead.
“We have about 500 million of them capable of running Windows 11 that have not been upgraded,” Dell COO Jeffrey Clark said on the Q3 earnings call earlier this week. “And we have another 500 million four-year-olds who can’t run Windows 11.” He sees this as an opportunity to guide customers toward the latest Windows 11 machines and AI PCs, but warns that the PC market is likely to remain relatively flat next year.
This is the first we’ve heard that about 500 million machines are holding off upgrading to Windows 11, and a similar number may not do so. Microsoft tightened its hardware requirements for Windows 11, leaving millions of PCs sold over the past decade behind.
Dell’s Windows 11 upgrade numbers come just a week after Windows chief Pavan Davuluri said that “nearly a billion people trust Windows 11.” It’s not clear what confidence means here, as Microsoft has typically provided monthly device numbers in the past.
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