
While there was a surge in sales at the start of the pandemic, PC sales in the third quarter of last year fell nearly 20% compared to the year prior, which was the fourth straight quarterly decline and one of the largest drops on record, according to Gartner. That means older machines might not have processors speedy enough to run the software.Įxacerbating those problems is the ongoing slowdown in the PC marketplace. One of the reasons Windows 11 has failed to find a wide audience so far is because of its minimum hardware requirements, which are higher than those of Windows 10. Released in July 2015, the program is still consistently updated to include new features and fix issues.

While Microsoft will discontinue direct sales to consumers, people insistent on installing the older OS should be able to easily find copies from other retailers and OEMs. Popular and powerful operating system Windows 10 is an operating system that is specifically designed for PC devices and Microsoft equipment: the Surface tablet. Last month, Microsoft unveiled Windows 11, the latest operating system powering personal. Windows 11, meanwhile, despite good reviews, has only achieved a user base of roughly 20%. 1:07 PC owners will experience some big changes to their Windows software later this year. Security updates will continue until October 2025, the 10-year anniversary of the system.ĭespite its more advanced age, Windows 10 is a much more popular OS for users, with an install base of more than 60%. Microsoft is not walking away from Windows 10 altogether just yet, however.

The cessation of sales is likely to steer more users to Windows 11, the latest operating system, which was first introduced in October 2021.
