Windows 11 Upgrade Hesitation: Why 500 Million PCs Are Sticking with Older Versions, According to Dell

Windows 11 Adoption Rate Slower Than Windows 10, Dell Reports

The transition to Windows 11 among Windows users is happening at a slower pace compared to the upgrade to Windows 10, according to recent data from Dell. Despite Microsoft’s 10-year-old operating system reaching the end of its support phase, many consumers and businesses are still sticking with Windows 10, which remains popular.

Dell’s Chief Operating Officer, Jeffrey Clarke, revealed during a Q3 earnings call that approximately 500 million machines have the capability to upgrade to Windows 11 but have not done so yet. Additionally, another 500 million machines that are four years old are unable to run Windows 11. Clarke sees this as an opportunity to encourage customers to move towards the latest Windows 11 machines and AI PCs. However, he also cautioned that the PC market is expected to remain relatively flat next year.

This recent information sheds light on the fact that as many as 500 million machines are delaying the upgrade to Windows 11, while a similar number are unable to make the transition due to Microsoft’s tightened hardware requirements for the new operating system. This move has left behind millions of PCs that were sold over the past decade.

Dell’s Windows 11 upgrade numbers come shortly after Windows chief Pavan Davuluri stated that “nearly a billion people rely on Windows 11.” The exact interpretation of “rely” in this context is not specified, as Microsoft has traditionally shared monthly device numbers in the past.