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Windows 7 is still going strong, holds 25% desktop OS market share

If you're still using Windows 7, it would seem you are far from alone. New data shows that more than a quarter of desktop OS users are still using Windows 7 as their operating system of choice.

NetApplications recently updated its data on Operating Systems market share. The data from the market researcher for February 2020 shows a slowing down in the switch from Windows 7 to Windows 10. January saw a big number of users switching operating system, which is thought to have been accelerated by the Windows 7 support deadline. But in spite of the support deadline now passing, the share of users hasn't continued to decrease at a noticeable rate.

Image credit: Hexus.net

On the NetApplications graph seen above, just Windows 10 and Windows 7 shares are plotted. The data from February 2020 shows that Windows 10 has 57.39% of the desktop OS market share and Windows 7 has 25.20%. This is a very slight shift from the market shares in January, with figures of of 57.08% respectively 25.56%. December, however, saw a greater leap, with 53.36% for Windows 10 and 29.57% for Windows 7. The chart line in the graph shows a clear ‘flattening' for February.

Microsoft finance chief Amy Hood talked on Monday about why the Windows 7 upgrade cycle seems to have stalled, at Morgan Stanley's Technology Media and Telecom conference in San Francisco. Instead of seeing the situation as a problem, Hood sees an opportunity, with much income still waiting to be reaped.

Based on a CNBC report and quotes from Hood, the stalling in the OS switch stems from two factors. First, Microsoft reckons that a lack in chip supply contributes to the slowdown. System upgrades and new PCs are a big driver for changing to the latest OS. Secondly, Covid-19 creates issues in the supply chain from China – which in turn affects the supply of new PCs.

Hood indicates that the slowdown in the transition is nothing new, it has been seen in earlier versions of the OS. Harvard Business Review, on the other hand, reckons that the “worst is yet to come” in terms of Coronavirus supply chain disruptions.

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KitGuru says: Are you still using Windows 7? What are your thoughts if you've made the switch to Windows 10?

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