Windows 10 Installs Reportedly Top 200 Million Five Months After Launch
While it’s been quite a while since Microsoft gave us the last official headcount for Windows 10 installs, a new report suggests that the company has nearly doubled its install count since early October. WinBeta, citing its own internal sources at Microsoft, suggests that global installs of Windows 10 have surpassed the 200 million mark. That’s a pretty big accomplishment for Microsoft, and we have the feeling that we could be hearing an official announcement as we close out 2015, or at least early in the new year.
However, the rapid adoption of Windows 10 hasn’t come without controversy. Microsoft has gone out of its way to force downloads on customers running Windows 7 and Windows 8, going so far as to download multi-gigabyte ISOs in the background (without the user’s knowledge). Microsoft has even “mistakenly” labeled Windows 10 as a Recommended update in recent months, which has prompted machines to automatically initiate the install process. More recently, Microsoft has resorted to giving customers ultimatums when it comes to installing Windows 10.
Microsoft Chief Marking Officer Chris Capossela recently defended the company’s actions with regards to Windows 10 upgrades, stating, “We do feel a responsibility to get people to a much better place.” Capossela argued that it’s important to keep its customers running the latest version of its software to ensure that security concerns are addressed. He did note, however, that “it’s hard to move anyone to a new model without angering some people.
“We’re willing to put up with some level of discomfort if we feel like we’re getting more and more people to a safer, better operating system that’s frankly better for everyone in the ecosystem.”
Expect Windows 10 installation numbers to really skyrocket in the new year. Sometime in 2016, Microsoft will switch Windows 10 from an Optional update for Windows 7 and Windows 8 users to a Recommended update. That means that a lot of unsuspecting users that have so far successfully avoided Windows 10 will have to get more creative if they want to stay far away.
