Background:
Microsoft Windows 10 has marked the end of an era in many ways. As fewer online adults actively use computers, Microsoft and its OEM partners have felt increasing pressure to encourage users to use PCs again.
Most Windows 10 users already use other devices to complete their online activities, from smartphones and tablets to a Windows 11 PC or Apple Macintosh.
Microsoft has publicized an October 2025 end-of-support date, after which it will not support users of Windows 10 and earlier versions as it did in the past. However, the large and slow-moving active installed base makes it unlikely that all users will have fully migrated to Windows 11 by then. Instead, many users are likely to migrate elsewhere – to Apple Macintosh computers, smartphones, tablets, or Chromebooks. Current Windows 10 users include those who have already migrated their activities to smartphones, those who are economically constrained, and those not predisposed to buying a new PC.
While most PC makers have joined Microsoft and others in touting AI and crafting AI-enhanced computers, early indications show a mixed reception.
Approach:
This one-time TUP data cut profiles the current users of Windows 10 and earlier Windows versions along several dimensions. Starting with intentions to refresh their PCs within specific time frames, we profile the age of PCs in active use, the brand share of the installed base, and usage levels in hours and activities. MetaFacts further identifies the activities done more often with PCs than smartphones and vice versa, including remote work, writing/presentations, entertainment, programming/coding, and printing.
These results are based on the MetaFacts TUP/Technology User Profile 2024 datasets, with 13,561 respondents representing online adults in the US, Germany, the UK, Japan, and China. Additional trends from 2022 through 2024 are included based on data from 36,105 respondents in the US, Germany, the UK, and Japan reporting on the penetration rates and active market size of Windows 11 PCs, Windows 10 or earlier PCs, Apple Mac computers, and Chromebooks.
The TUP data cut features a set of standardized cross-tabulations from TUP/Technology User Profile 2024 in Excel format. It also includes trending information and a topline summary.
Join Now