Microsoft has confirmed that Windows 11 is now in use on over 1 billion devices globally. That's a milestone that the company should be proud of, especially considering it was achieved faster than Windows 10 did, which launched with the goal of reaching 1 billion devices as quickly as possible.
Windows 10 famously failed to reach that goal in the timeframe Microsoft set out at the time, but it did eventually reach that 1 billion mark. It took Windows 10 1,706 days to reach that milestone, whereas Windows 11 achieved it in a much faster 1,576 days. "Windows reached a big milestone, 1 billion Windows 11 users," Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced during this quarters earnings call.
Windows 11 has now been on the market for coming up on 5 years, which is a long time in the tech space. This release has seen its fair share of controversies, starting right at the start with its high system requirements that to this day has locked out millions of Windows 10 users from upgrading to Windows 11 for free.
In more recent times, Microsoft's sudden shift and focus on AI experiences, along with a slip in overall system stability and quality has eroded trust in the platform, forcing Microsoft to promise that Windows 11 is a platform that will continue to exist and appease users of all kinds, including developers, gamers, and productivity users.
With Windows 11 now in use on 1 billion devices, that makes it the most popular "hated" version of Windows ever. Previous versions of Windows that were considered bad by the general public are Windows 8 and Windows Vista, both of which never made it anywhere near the 1 billion mark.
Perhaps that's a sign that the hate for Windows 11 isn't as severe as the tech bubble makes it out to be. People outside the tech space, who use Windows as a tool, are more than likely perfectly fine with Windows 11 as a platform. Still, that doesn't mean Microsoft shouldn't address the problems and criticisms that people have with Windows 11 as of late.
Now that Windows 11 has reached that 1 billion number, it's more important than ever for Microsoft to ensure that the people using it want to stay using it.
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Zac Bowden is a Senior Editor at Windows Central and has been with the site since 2016. Bringing you exclusive coverage into the world of Windows, Surface, and hardware. He's also an avid collector of rare Microsoft prototype devices! Keep in touch on Twitter and Threads
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