Windows 10 Surpasses Windows 7 In Market Share, Says One Statistic

Windows 10 was launched in July 2015. It was off to a rocky start, but not as rocky as Windows 8 or even Windows 8.1. And definitely a lot, lot better than the now ridiculed Windows Vista. But while Microsoft might want to sing praises of Windows 10, because what else could it do, the fact remains that it still hasn't overtaken the most popular Windows version there is. At least until now, because according to StatCounter, Windows 10 is just a tiny bit more popular than Windows 7.

You'd think that the next most recent Windows release would be the most popular, but Microsoft seems to have this tick-tock trend. Windows ME before Windows XP was a terrible flop. Windows Vista before Windows 7 was likewise. And though not to the same degree, Windows 8 never got the chance to overtake Windows 7, even with mitigations from Windows 8.1.

Windows 10's adoption was slow and forced. But even then it took this long for it to even get an edge over Windows 10. And it's a tiny lead, 42.78% versus 41.86%, which could still change next month. And that even depends who you ask.

Rival Netmarketshare's numbers tell a slightly different story. There, Windows 7 still has the lead, but again a small one. It will only be a matter of time, especially as Microsoft winds down support for Windows 7 and continues shoving Windows 10 to everyone.

Still, it's probably worth congratulating Microsoft for having even got this close. The two-year old Windows 10, after all, is up against a 8-year old operating system. And considering Windows 10 is being pushed as a continuing service, it's going to be around for a long, long time.