We’re down to less than two months before Microsoft’s self-imposed end-of-life deadline for Windows 10 hits—though there are a few ways to get around it—and users aren’t the only ones who are feeling trepidatious about the switch. According to a new report, both HP and Dell say only half of Windows PCs have upgraded to Windows 11… and the other half aren’t likely to switch quickly.
Our sister site ComputerWorld reports on earnings calls from the two biggest American PC makers, which broadly agree with other reports: Windows 11 still only makes up about half of the installations across the globe. (In fact, Statcounter claims that Windows 10 actually gained market share in August while Windows 11 lost some, despite being a decade old and edging right up against that October deadline.)
A Gartner researcher comments on who’s likely to switch and who’s likely to hold out: large enterprises with an eye towards minimizing future problems are likely to invest in their infrastructure and get Windows 11 up and running sooner rather than later, while small businesses—always eager to squeeze a quarter out of a nickel—are more likely to delay any hardware or software upgrades until absolutely necessary.
While these corporate customers are the focus of Dell and HP for the purposes of this report, with economic anxiety on the rise, regular consumers also seem less likely to be eager for new PC purchases. PC prices are on the rise, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, particularly in the US. President Trump’s import tariffs have been declared illegal by US courts, but still remain in place as the taxes are appealed, leaving consumers on the hook for large price increases across the board.
All of those factors make Microsoft’s hopes (and increasingly insistent pushes) for Windows 11 upgrades seem less attainable. It’s no wonder that the company is offering extended security updates for Windows 10, even if it’s making users jump through a few hoops to get them.