RIP AdDuplex
AdDuplex, the cross-promotion network targeted at Windows apps and games, has announced plans to shut down. The service allowed developers and publishers to promote apps for free by helping each other. That's not all it did though. Over the years, when BetaNews reported on usage share for Microsoft's various operating systems -- Windows 11 versus Windows 10, for example -- those share figures came from AdDuplex.
That is about to end however, as after more than 12 years, AdDuplex finds it is no longer able to continue.
Windows 11 uptake remains slow
If you recall, two months ago we reported how Windows 11 growth was still glacially slow, as users appeared to be opting to stay with Windows 10, rather than upgrading to the new OS.
Although it didn’t report on Windows 11’s share last month, AdDuplex has returned with figures for June, and if you were expecting a sudden surge of upgrades, well we’ve some bad news for you -- and Microsoft.
Windows 11 adoption still glacially slow as users stick with Windows 10
Last month, we reported on how Windows 11's growth had stalled dramatically, with the new operating system’s usage share in March increasing by just 0.1 percentage points.
One bad month doesn’t necessary mean bad news for Microsoft’s latest OS, but two bad months? Well, that hardly paints a rosy picture.
Bad news for Microsoft as Windows 11's growth stalls dramatically
After enjoying a couple of months of stellar usage growth which saw Windows 11 double its share, putting it on close to 20 percent of PCs, the new operating system had a nightmare March.
AdDuplex’s report for the current month -- still presented in the Ukraine flag colors of blue and yellow -- will make for shocking reading for Microsoft and for fans of the new operating system.
Windows 11 now on close to 20 percent of PCs
The last time we looked at market share for Windows 11, we reported that the new operating system had doubled its share and was on 16.1 percent of systems.
A month later, and that growth isn’t showing any signs of slowing, but in reporting on the latest figures, AdDuplex turns the spotlight on a much more important situation.
Windows 11 doubled its usage share in the last two months
In a blog post published a few days ago, Panos Panay, Chief Product Officer of Windows and Devices at Microsoft, talked about the future of Windows 11 and also announced that upgrades of the new OS have been taken up by users at twice the rate of Windows 10 upgrades.
Of course, as is to be expected by any sort of such announcement from Microsoft, there were no figures to back up this claim, but what is clear is that Windows 11 is rapidly increasing its usage share.
Windows 11 edges closer to 10 percent market share
Windows 11 was first released two months ago, and although it has some tough system requirements (most notably the need for TPM 2.0), and it’s still only being rolled out to compatible systems, the new OS is fast gaining market share.
It still has a long way to go before it supplants Windows 10, but it’s showing solid growth.
Windows 11 already accounts for more Windows installations than you might expect
Windows 11 has not even been officially released, but it is already installed on a surprising number of PCs.
The level of interest in the latest version of Microsoft's operating system is such that large numbers of people are taking advantage of the Windows Insider program to try out the preview builds ahead of the launch. The latest Windows usage figures from AdDuplex include Windows 11, and they make for interesting reading.
Over half of Windows 10 PCs now running the May 2019 Update
Microsoft rolls out two feature updates a year for Windows 10, although this year the second of the updates -- the November 2019 Update -- is actually more of a service pack.
The trouble with this twice-yearly update schedule is most people don’t upgrade to the new version right away. In fact, due to compatibility issues, most people don’t even get offered it for months after its initial rollout. As a result, the majority end up running an older version of Windows 10.
Users still aren't in any rush to install newer versions of Windows 10
AdDuplex monitors the state of adoption for the various Windows 10 versions. Its figures for June showed the October 2018 Update (1809) was only on 30 percent of systems (down from 31.3 percent in May), while the May 2019 Update (1903) was to be found on 6.3 percent of devices in the same time frame.
The monitoring firm has just released its figures for July and they show that the May 2019 Update has made its way on to more systems, but at a very cautious pace.
Only a tiny fraction of Windows 10 users are running the May 2019 Update
The latest Windows 10 feature release, the May 2019 Update, is slowly making its way to users, but after the mess that was the October 2018 Update, Microsoft is keeping a close eye on proceedings.
As a result, it means the rollout is happening at an incredibly glacial pace. In fact, it's occurring at roughly the same rate as its predecessor, which isn't good news.
Most Windows 10 users are running the update from over a year ago
Microsoft’s original grand plan for Windows 10 was an operating system that was always up-to-date. Updates were intended to be mandatory, and while you could delay them a bit, you couldn’t opt out of them entirely. And the software giant was committed to rolling out two major feature updates a year.
Fast forward to now, and things are very different. You can delay, or avoid, most updates, including feature updates -- assuming you’re even offered them in the first place.
Windows 10 users still avoiding the October 2018 Update like the plague
The Windows 10 May 2019 Update is currently undergoing testing in the Release Preview ring to ensure it should be relatively bug free when it finally rolls out to all (in theory at least).
Microsoft has already identified an issue that prevents the OS update from installing on systems with a USB flash drive or SD card connected.
Nearly three quarters of Windows 10 users still don’t have the October 2018 Update
The October 2018 Update, or Windows 10 1809, has been nothing short of a disaster for Microsoft. It was so buggy it had to be pulled shortly after its release last October, and it only began to be pushed out as an automatic update a week ago.
AdDuplex, which monitors the share of each version of Windows 10, has been reporting for months on the incredibly poor adoption of Windows 10 1809, and March was another month in which the update gained hardly any additional share. With the next big feature version scheduled to arrive next month, it looks as if most people will be skipping the older update.
Most Windows 10 users still haven't installed the October 2018 Update
Microsoft is currently working to finish the next big feature update for Windows 10, codenamed 19H1, which is due to begin rolling out in April.
The trouble is, most users still haven’t installed its predecessor, the often problematic October 2018 Update (aka Windows 10 1809).
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