News Windows 11 market share declines as users seemingly shift back to Windows 10

[truerock]

Thats funny.

People completely forget the hatefest that came with the release of XP. Especially the look of the GUI.

I would admit that there was an appealing simplicity to the Windows 98 desktop and start button. IMHO it was better than Windows 11.

 

[JamesJones44]

I think another interesting point to think about is the idea of the Microsoft Window "Start Button".

My 2 cents on this is the "Start Button" really should just go away. Whether it's Android, macOS, Window, etc. I'm much more inclined to just use the search options, type in the one or two letters for the app and select it from the list.

The issue is, casual users just can't seem to get out of their old habits. I watch people all the time thumb through dozens of icons on their smartphones looking for an app icon when they could just use the search feature and find it 10x faster.

 

[Grobe]

Whether it's Android, macOS, Window, etc. I'm much more inclined to just use the search options, type in the one or two letters for the app and select it from the list.

At work I use computers with W11, and I try to get to use the search function as most time effective I can, but it get populated by other things than just the app names, such as recent files and sometimes seemingly random items (ads?) populate the search results.
Btw: this is possible to change/fix <my search results>.

Also an user may not remember the name for a little used random app that was installed long time ago, and then the start menu isn't such a bad thing after all for browsing installed apps.

 

[baboma]

>While such articles might help them meet short-term traffic goals, in the long run those kinds of tactics will negatively impact the site's credibility.

I think THW's bread & butter is its HW reviews, many of which are on Google's first page of search hits when people go to look for reviews of things they want to buy. I doubt these filler content matters much in regards to making money.

But blogs need fresh new content everyday, just to keep the regular users to frequent, and there aren't enough reviews or "hard news" for that. The filler pieces need not be good or even relevant, but only as something for us to "doomscroll" through. I see this to varying degrees on all ad-supported sites--rumors, odd news, deals, and whatever the site staff can think of to fill the site.

And every site rehashes news/info from other sites. I don't think it's realistic or reasonable to expect "original reporting" when we're not paying for content (other than our eyeballs).

>...especially as AI makes it easier for countless other sites to crop up doing the exact same thing.

The addition of AI-generated content into the mix will come, I'm sure, as soon as it can get to a passable degree of "reporting." I think that will be fairly soon, not because of AI advances as much, but by the low bar of quality these filler content requires. I don't think sites will change that much, but freelancing jobs for filler pieces, like this one, will disappear.

>Either way, I felt it was reasonable to correct the misinformation to perhaps spare someone from being misdirected by it.

The piece has already scrolled off the front page (into digital oblivion). And I think we've read enough of these "doom is nigh" pieces that scant attention is paid. It's mainly fodder for the usual "Windows sux" venting, all of which are on display here. We all like to vent.

 

[ezst036]

Thats funny.

People completely forget the hatefest that came with the release of XP. Especially the look of the GUI.

Not so funny, you omitted the rest of the story.

People are trying Windows 11, seeing how bad it is, and having the results you see in discussion.

People did freak out over XP, that half is true. But then they tried it. It was birds chirping and sunshine and lollypops. It was arguably Microsoft's best.

 

[SyCoREAPER]

I've turned Windows 11 basically into 7+10 with a few free and paid tools. If anyone is interested and mods don't care me mentioning them, reply and ask.

Anyway, 11 natively is a dumpster fire to me in terms of navigation. Two different control panels. Goofy Stat Menu. Data Mining. The list goes on...

Fortunately I reversed most of that and regained some control. That said not everything 11 is bad though. I can say for me it's been much more stable and not having to save my money to put towards a forced upgrade is nice too.

Microsoft has to realize however that virtually no competition isn't the same as no competition. Liux is getting more and more user friendly and supported by the day, more sheeple are switching to "over there" and the Windows diehards of pushed too far will just end up cracking it.

It's a slippery slope. And as for customers shifting back, that's not news. People have been doing that for years. Loyalists who hate the new roll back, until that is, they are forced to upgrade anyway.

 

[USAFRet]

Not so funny, you omitted the rest of the story.

People are trying Windows 11, seeing how bad it is, and having the results you see in discussion.

People did freak out over XP, that half is true. But then they tried it. It was birds chirping and sunshine and lollypops. It was arguably Microsoft's best.

People look back at XP with rose colored glasses, ignoring the initial crapfest.

Today, people lovingly look back on Win 10, again ignoring the initial crapfest.

When Win 13 rolls around, Win 11 will be seen as the Great Savior.

It has always been thus.


1/2 of my house systems are Win 10, 1/2 Win 11.

I go back and forth seamlessly.

Bottom line...I use applications, not "the OS".

 

[Grobe]

I've turned Windows 11 basically into 7+10 with a few free and paid tools. If anyone is interested and mods don't care me mentioning them, reply and ask.

How about the rumors about MS is supposedly trying to prevent users for doing customizations like this ?

People look back at XP with rose colored glasses, ignoring the initial crapfest.

I remember back then I was thinking about how short period after W2K before a new one was released. In the time after XP release, there was this trend of using icons and desktop background with very glassy/glossy appearance.

 

[Colif]

stats are probably wrong as per another post in thread. Trends don't make sense. Look more like corrections of data and not actual PC movements.
Using one study to base an idea on is sort of weak anyway. Too easy to be contradicted, just needs another that finds opposite.

Why use 10 when it only has 1 year more on its update schedule? its not a good answer.

Windows is just a platform that you run everything else on, so what does it matter which you use?

 

[USAFRet]

How about the rumors about MS is supposedly trying to prevent users for doing customizations like this ?


I remember back then I was thinking about how short period after W2K before a new one was released. In the time after XP release, there was this trend of using icons and desktop background with very glassy/glossy appearance.

At one point or another, I've used every OS from MS since DOS 2.0 as a "daily driver".
Even Win 8....even (shudder) WinMe.

To me, people get too wrapped around the axle in "This version SUX!!!"

But, that's them, not me.

 

[Order 66]

For me, auto hdr, is why I went with windows 11. I haven’t had any issues with windows 11, so I don’t really understand why it’s such a big deal.

 

[ezst036]

People look back at XP with rose colored glasses, ignoring the initial crapfest.

Today, people lovingly look back on Win 10, again ignoring the initial crapfest.

When Win 13 rolls around, Win 11 will be seen as the Great Savior.

It has always been thus.


1/2 of my house systems are Win 10, 1/2 Win 11.

I go back and forth seamlessly.

Bottom line...I use applications, not "the OS".

The issue isn't the initial rollout or impressions, you're creating a contradiction by harping on that.

 

[USAFRet]

The issue isn't the initial rollout or impressions, you're creating a contradiction by harping on that.

Well, it sort of relates to the actual article..."People going from Win 11 back to Win 10".

But, what I wrote above is just my personal opinion.

 

[JamesJones44]

When Win 13 rolls around, Win 11 will be seen as the Great Savior.

I'm not so sure about that. While Win 11 isn't Vista or Windows 8, it is on the level of Windows ME and I don't recall many people every saying they wished they had Windows ME back.

What I remember most people not liking about Windows XP was some Win95 and Win 3.x programs didn't work correctly due to the switch to the NT Kernel. However, once people updated those apps I don't remember too many people dreaming of moving back to 9x/ME

 

[hotaru251]

When Win 13 rolls around, Win 11 will be seen as the Great Savior.

likely not true. (only true for the ppl who have a straight refusal of ai being in core of an os)

WIN11 has many issues even this late into its life (its 3yrs this oct) that should of been fixed ages ago.

WIN12 or win 13 will likely not have same pains as 11 as they will of learned (kind of like how they did with vista vs 7 & 8 and 8.1)

 

[jeffy9987]

im curious what percentage macos is especially with every new laptop being sold with 11 id wager if a student had to learn whats mostly a completely new ui and doesnt need x86 why wouldnt they go with a macbook for the better batterylife and stability

 

[slightnitpick]

I'm not so sure about that. While Win 11 isn't Vista or Windows 8, it is on the level of Windows ME and I don't recall many people every saying they wished they had Windows ME back.

👋
I used ME (sometimes with the Litestep display manager) for a long time. The install finally corrupted and I was forced to upgrade to XP. XP was okay, though I think it may have nuked some of the registry edits I had made, until MS flagged it as a pirated copy a few months later (I guess that explains why it was cheaper at the computer repair shop than buying it new - I thought they were just installing a cheaper OEM version or something). Fortunately Vista came out around this time and was available for cheap from the school I was attending at the time.

Vista was great. 7 was fine too, but there wasn't much benefit over Vista for me. 8, no thanks. 8 sparked the transition to Linux for my personal computer.

 

[slightnitpick]

likely not true. (only true for the ppl who have a straight refusal of ai being in core of an os)

WIN11 has many issues even this late into its life (its 3yrs this oct) that should of been fixed ages ago.

WIN12 or win 13 will likely not have same pains as 11 as they will of learned (kind of like how they did with vista vs 7 & 8 and 8.1)

Just an FYI in case you don't know. The "should of" and "will of" are actually "should have" and "will have". In contraction form these are "should've" and "will've" (though more likely "would've". The "ve" contraction, in spoken form, sounds basically the same as "of". I'm guessing this is where you got this usage - by hearing people say "should've", and the like, and misinterpreting it as "should of", and the like.

 

[Colif]

The only version of Windows I didn't really like was ME. I got a lot of practice reinstalling it.
I have used all the others except 8. I didn't even mind Vista (it was okay if PC built to run it)
They all mostly same, they just change the wallpaper/UI every 5 years and people fight over which one is better.

I guess it keeps you occupied.

 

[endocine]

I'm not apologizing for anything. Once you get used to it, it's just as good or better than 10. Yes, it's change. Yes, that means there's a learning curve, however minor. Life goes on.

Don't find anything good or better about the new taskbar behavior, the forced windows login, the forced advertisements, the new pernicious telemetry worse than 10, the forced hardware requirements like TPM that obsoletes usable hardware, the changes in the UI that require extra steps to complete a task that you can't work around. Can you get used to it? Sure. Is it as efficient as before? No. Maybe you are the target market for all of this, but it bothers a lot of other people enough that they will not go to Win11. This rant was posted here using Win10.

 

[ezst036]

Well, it sort of relates to the actual article..."People going from Win 11 back to Win 10".

But, what I wrote above is just my personal opinion.

That's what I'm trying to tell you. Your personal opinion and my personal opinion are in agreement here:

Users didn't try to flee in massive numbers from Windows XP once they gave it a try. That relation to the actual article is the contradiction.

People do use operating systems after all.

 

[Priscus]

I, for one, will not be moving on to W11.

I like to experiment with different OSs, so secure boot and TP are just a nuisance to me. OK, I know there are ways round, but why have needless extra work.

So, I will stick with 'Ten' until usage presents problems, and thereafter will be Linux only, except that I still use XP for audio work as it is more suited to such use than subsequent MS products.

 

[phxrider]

Thats funny.

People completely forget the hatefest that came with the release of XP. Especially the look of the GUI.

Exactly. This happens with EVERY new OS. Everyone cried about Windows 10 when it came out too, now they can't quit it. It comes down to people just don't like change.

 

[phxrider]

Going off on a tangent here… but I quite liked Win8.1. If one ignored the wacky tile interface, it was a fairly solid OS. Little if no telemetry; no nag popups; font scaling that worked well for high dpi; a properly configurable version of File History; light on resources, performed well on low spec hardware; and good cross-version hardware driver compatibility. Tiles also eventually grew on me as an ad-hoc productivity ‘focus’ feature.

And if you put Classic Shell on it, it was literally an improved Windows 7.

 

[JamesJones44]

Exactly. This happens with EVERY new OS. Everyone cried about Windows 10 when it came out too, now they can't quit it. It comes down to people just don't like change.

I don't agree with this take at all. I'm very quick to update OS versions, hell my Linux and mac machines are all on the latest OS versions. I would move to Win 11 too if they would just fix the performance issues, but MS has almost completely lost control of quality in the OS division over the last 2 or 3 years and they just pump out issue after issue and never bother to fix them. Look no further than latest VPN fiscal where MS is just basically shrugging their shoulders.