Microsoft Wants a Billion Devices Using Windows 10 by 2018

[Steven Bogos]

Microsoft Wants a Billion Devices Using Windows 10 by 2018

Microsoft has set its sights high for the latest version of its Windows operating system.

At today's Microsoft Build conference in San Francisco, the tech giant set some pretty bold goals for its upcoming Windows 10 operating system [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/137744-Microsoft-Windows-10-not-Windows-9]. Namely, it aims to have over a billion devices worldwide running the OS by 2018. That's one computer running Windows for every 7 people on the planet!

"Within two to three years of Windows 10's release, there will be 1 billion devices running Windows 10," Microsoft VP Terry Myerson said during the keynote address. To put things into comparison, Myerson explained that Android 4.4 "KitKat" is on around 500 million devices, and iOS (presumably iOS 8) is on even fewer devices.

"With Apple, you choose to invest in iOS and OS X. With Google, it's Android or Chrome OS," Myerson said. "Windows is the only platform that lets you bring apps to all these devices efficiently."

Windows 10 launches this summer, and will be made available as a free upgrade for existing Windows users (whether they currently own a pirated or legit copy [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/140152-Windows-10-Will-Update-For-Free-On-Pirated-Windows-Copies]) for PC and mobile device. Certainly the free upgrade will spark a lot of users to upgrade, but a billion?

Last year, Microsoft also predicted that 600 million users [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/138960-Microsoft-Windows-10-600-Million-PC-Upgrades] would upgrade their PCs for Windows 10.

Source: Cnet [http://www.cnet.com/news/microsoft-aims-for-1-billion-devices-running-windows-10/]

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[Strazdas]

well i would hope they make it to 1 billion devices. after all its a free install for everyone that owns a previuso version so most of older users are going to come around very fast. And since nowadays over 60% of world population is believed to have access to internet it stands to reason most of them also have PC. so that would need to have even 1/4 penetration to reach the goal. and if they are going to give win10 for free it sure will attract people to it.

 

[Saulkar]

Meh, once Windows 7 is unusably outdated then I am making the switch to Linux with Blender 3D picking up the pace with industry standard features and WINE able to run my other software at almost peak usability. SteamOS will hopefully bring the games. It will all only get better with time.

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

Someone is aiming as high as Molyneux. If they want a guaranteed 1 billion, put in an xBox 360 emulator.

 

[Chaosian]

I'm sure Microsoft would want a billion devices to use Windows 10.
I'm also sure Microsoft would want to sell billion Xboxes and see both Sony and Nintendo go out of business, but some things just aren't in the cards guys.

 

[Albino Boo]

Someone is aiming as high as Molyneux. If they want a guaranteed 1 billion, put in an xBox 360 emulator.

I'm sure Microsoft would want a billion devices to use Windows 10.
I'm also sure Microsoft would want to sell billion Xboxes and see both Sony and Nintendo go out of business, but some things just aren't in the cards guys.

There are currently 1.3 billion windows pc users and if you are giving away a free upgrade its not a great leap to 1 billion users in 3 years.

 

[Corven]

I'm still wondering how they are going to make a profit from this, if the OS is free what are they going to hold at ransom to keep the cash flowing in?

 

[Doom972]

They said 1 billion devices, not people. This OS is for PCs, tablets and phones. So it doesn't have to be every 1 in 7 people on the entire planet.

I'm still wondering how they are going to make a profit from this, if the OS is free what are they going to hold at ransom to keep the cash flowing in?

I think that they're going to rely on profits from the Windows Store.

 

[circularlogic88]

Well, moving forward, I'm fairly certain every windows smart phone will require a mandatory update to 10, anyone with an xbox one will have to update because they don't really have much of a choice in the matter (though I am curious if they're including Xbox Ones in their billion device count seeing as how they're supposed to be able to interact with Windows 10 devices), and the average consumer who goes to best buy or walmart won't really care what OS they're running, so 1 billion seems inevitable whether people take the upgrade or not over the next 3 years.

 

[dangoball]

I'll wait for some initial reactions before upgrading to Windows 10. Once I got used to (ignoring most of) 8.1 I would rather have at least some assurance that 10 is not another counter-intuitive PC unfriendly mess.
As for their target number, well, if they somehow convince the average mainland China user to switch from old to new, that will help quite a bit.

 

[Uhuru N'Uru]

Just because they say Devices doesn't mean those
device users will ever use windows, free or not.
iPad and iPhone users will never switch from iOS.
Same with android phones and Tablets. Most can't even if they wanted to switch, which they won't.

Business switch rarely and only when it suits them, not MS. Laptops are almost extinct.

So MS have only the PC market left.
My experience is that tablet owners don't use the PC if they still have one at all, it just gathers dust.

That leaves just PC Gamers, every other market has serious or even dominant competition for free or comes with the device OS's.

Even with PC Gaming Linux and SteamOS are becoming a force.
Gamers would never upgrade just to get the next DirectX when MS had a monopoly. Look at XP and Windows 7 is still the most used, today.
Windows 10 simply wouldn't sell enough units by the old comes with the PC marketing.
The MS Computing domination era is history. Not because they lost it to Linux, but because people went mobile and MS went to consoles.

PC gaming is bigger than ever and can and will survive without a new Windows. Windows can no longer survive without PC Gaming and that is why it's free to pirates.

Think about that one, MS now calls pirates, customers!!!

 

[Lightknight]

Sure, and I'm sure most hot dog vendors also want 1 billion dogs sold. Tough tits, Microsoft.

Software as a service is expensive as balls and most of us will learn that each year your renewal fee shows up.

 

[Kinitawowi]

"With Apple, you choose to invest in iOS and OS X. With Google, it's Android or Chrome OS," Myerson said. "Windows is the only platform that lets you bring apps to all these devices efficiently."

Good to know they still haven't learned their lesson. Arseholes.

Face it, Microsoft; desktop and mobile are different platforms with completely different needs, and it's your attempt to shoehorn them into one thing that ruined Windows 8.

 

[MysticSlayer]

I don't see this happening unless Microsoft can convince Windows 7 users to switch, and having used the Windows 10 tech preview, I don't see people switching until Microsoft cuts off support...shit...Now I'm concerned about them cutting off support to try to force people to make the upgrade.

Oh well, time to get everyone in my family to switch to Mac or Linux.

I'm still wondering how they are going to make a profit from this, if the OS is free what are they going to hold at ransom to keep the cash flowing in?

Offering a free upgrade is hardly new. Apple has been doing that for Mac OS X for a few years now, and I would hardly call Apple a struggling company. And as someone who uses Mac, it isn't like the OS is riddled with one feature after another that demands payment. Sure, that doesn't mean Microsoft won't find some less-than-pleasant ways to earn money, but if they just stick to things like relying on the Windows Store, hardware sales, and new adopters, then things shouldn't be too bad.

 

[LordLundar]

What is with Microsof't obsession with the word "billion"?

"We expect to have a billion Xbox One's sold."
"We want a billion devices using Windows 10."

What, in a few years time they'll be obsessed with trillion?

 

[Supernova1138]

I'm still wondering how they are going to make a profit from this, if the OS is free what are they going to hold at ransom to keep the cash flowing in?

I think Microsoft's strategy is to hand out free upgrades to try to get people off of Windows 7 and avoid having another repeat of Windows XP, where people stay on the same OS for a decade and Microsoft keeps having to extend support on it because not enough people have moved to the newer version.

I don't see this happening unless Microsoft can convince Windows 7 users to switch, and having used the Windows 10 tech preview, I don't see people switching until Microsoft cuts off support...shit...Now I'm concerned about them cutting off support to try to force people to make the upgrade.

Windows 7 is going to continue to receive security updates for another 5 years at least, with support stopping in April 2020. I don't see them moving that deadline back, as it would piss off all their business customers, many of which only just switched to Windows 7 when the plug was pulled on XP last year. Businesses don't typically even consider moving to a newer version of Windows until it has been out for at least a year and has a Service Pack out.

 

[MysticSlayer]

I don't see this happening unless Microsoft can convince Windows 7 users to switch, and having used the Windows 10 tech preview, I don't see people switching until Microsoft cuts off support...shit...Now I'm concerned about them cutting off support to try to force people to make the upgrade.

Windows 7 is going to continue to receive security updates for another 5 years at least, with support stopping in April 2020. I don't see them moving that deadline back, as it would piss off all their business customers, many of which only just switched to Windows 7 when the plug was pulled on XP last year. Businesses don't typically even consider moving to a newer version of Windows until it has been out for at least a year and has a Service Pack out.

I guess I should have made it more clear that I was joking around about Microsoft cutting off support to force an upgrade. By extension, the comment about convincing others to switch was also sort of a joke in that regard, though much less so because I already do try to convince people to switch from Windows to Mac (or Linux if they feel up to it).

 

[truckspond]

I'll wait for some initial reactions before upgrading to Windows 10. Once I got used to (ignoring most of) 8.1 I would rather have at least some assurance that 10 is not another counter-intuitive PC unfriendly mess.

I have played with the tech preview and I can tell you right now it is even better than the jump from Vista to 7

 

[Callate]

"...And as long as I'm dreaming, I'd like a pony." -Susie Derkins, Calvin and Hobbes

The "apology upgrade" will probably get them some converts, among those companies that are both paying attention and think that the lost productive time from having their IT departments do all those upgrades will be worth it in the long term. Some private users will switch, but many are likely to stick with 7 or even XP, still feeling burned by 8. They may change their minds eventually, but it will take not good tech reviews but good word of mouth from friends and family members, the kind of campaign that has rarely been Microsoft's strong suit.

But they're not going to see an upswing in phones. Windows is a shadow on the phone market, and there's little reason to believe that's going to change. Even if 10 were offering capabilities that users happy with Android and iOS hadn't seen before, in excess of the difficulties in adopting a new system on a device that's supposed to be geared to convenience, the tide of apps is running against them.

 

[DarkhoIlow]

Not gonna happen.

I'm sticking to 7 myself.