Windows 10 on track to overtake Windows 7 in UK

Partner predicts rush for latest OS before free upgrade offer ends

Windows 10 is on track to pass Windows 7 as the most-used operating system in the UK, according to the latest market data.

Figures released by StatCounter show that Windows 10 has steadily moved in on Windows 7's declining market share since launching in July last year, and held a 23.33 per cent share at the end of April, compared with Window's 7's 26.66 per cent.

Last month Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said that four out of five Microsoft enterprise customers are piloting Windows 10, which equates to double the amount of Windows 7 at the same point.

Mitchell Feldman, CEO of RedPixie, has not been surprised by its success.

"This is absolutely no shock for two reasons," he told CRN. "Firstly, it is a much better platform [than Windows 7] and secondly the free upgrade is expiring soon, so there will be a rush that will see it surpass Windows 7."

Microsoft is offering free upgrades to Windows 10 until 29 July.

Feldman also highlighted the US Department of Defence's (DOD) move to Windows 10 as a testament to its popularity.

The DOD plans to make four million upgrades to Windows 10 by the end of the year.

Feldman added: "The great endorsement from the DOD has rippled through the market and underpins why it's the best and people need to move to it.

"It was one of the most asked-for services in the last quarter and our clients cannot move quickly enough to it."

Steve Cox, chief operating officer at TSG, also praised the OS for changing the way people think about using applications, and expects its market share to continue growing when the free upgrade expires.

"It was a very welcomed change of interface [and] change of approach, and it has made devices more application-centric," he told CRN.

"It comes down to choice. It's free to use and download today but when you have to pay for it - what other choices do you realistically have?"

However, Microsoft has come in for criticism over the way it has handled Windows 10 upgrades.

Andy Trish, managing director of NCI Technologies, told CRN: "They [Microsoft] have been forcing it onto machines as a free upgrade, which I think is wrong. I've had a couple of customers complain that they have had Windows 10 upgrading their machines without asking for it.

"If it is just about being able to say to the press that Windows 10 has more market share than Windows 7, it is quite easy when you don't have to pay for it."

Trish added that he expected the Windows 10 market share to grow as Microsoft ships new machines, but that he has also encountered customers in the education sector who have actually asked to downgrade to Windows 7, to ensure that all their software is compatible.

Windows 10's predecessor, Windows 8, had a considerably lower market share in April at 8.37 per cent, according to StatCounter, continuing a steady decline that started in July last year when Windows 10 became available.