Microsoft’s latest version of its Windows operating system, Windows 10, powers 300 million devices in the world. This figure includes PCs, tablets, smartphones and XBox units.
According to Microsoft, the new operating system has been a hit with users who have embraced it and are using it in various ways ranging from personal to enterprise. Gamers, for instance, have spent 9 billion hours playing games on Windows 10.
Core Windows 10 services like Cortana and the Edge browser have also drawn a lot of interest from users. The former delivered answers to over 6 billion questions while the latter saw its user base grow by over 50% in the first quarter of 2016.
Windows 10 has been available since July 29, 2015, as a free upgrade to all users of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 machines. It has also been rolling out to various mobile devices previously running Windows Phone. Microsoft had promised users free upgrades for a year. That offer is soon expiring (on July 29, 2016) and the company states that it will bill anyone interested in upgrading their machine to Windows 10 at least $119.
According to the latest data from NetApplications, Windows 10 accounts for 15% of all devices running desktop operating systems.
Microsoft’s aggressive push to have users upgrade to Windows 10 is widely attributed to the drop in the number of machines running on the popular Windows 7. Windows 7, for the first time ever, saw its market share drop below 50% in April 2016.
Barely a year old, Windows 10 is already the second most popular desktop operating system according to NetApplications.
