With Windows 10, PC users switch faster than ever to a new Windows version. The number of new users of Microsoft's latest operating system increases faster than that of Windows XP and Windows 7 when they were released, according to research company Gartner.
The researchers from Gartner predict that by January 2017 more than half of the companies have started to use Windows 10 PCs. Usually businesses slowly switch to new Windows versions because they want to make sure that the software works flawlessly on a new OS. Many companies never switched from Windows 7 to Windows 8.
Because support of Windows 7 ends in January 2020 many companies are aware that they should switch to another OS before that date and therefore have started to develop migration paths. Windows 10 also offers decent support for older software which makes the switch easier. And another reason is that, according to Gartner, there is an increasing demand for hybrid laptops which can also be used like tablets. With Windows 10 these can be fully utilized, while Windows 7 has no touchscreen support. Gartner predicts that by 2018, 33% of all laptops will ship with a touchscreen.
Consumers are offered a free update to Windows 10 when coming from Windows 7 or Windows 8. For companies the upgrade isn't free.
