Over half of current Windows users want to upgrade to Windows 11
Despite having some reservations
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A poll conducted byWindows Reportwith 11,097 participants has revealed some interesting public perceptions about the upcomingWindows 11operating system.
According to the results, over half of the participants are planning to upgrade to the new OS at launch, while almost a quarter of those polled don’t have a laptop or PC that meets the loftyminimum hardware requirementsto upgrade at all. It seems folk are also torn on the design, with 53% voting in favor of the new look, while 21% think it closely resemblesWindows 10, and 13% admitting that the look ofWindows 11isn’t to their taste.
The poll also asks questions regarding favorite features and queried the participant’s knowledge of internal PC components likeTPM chips(after an early issueregarding compatibility was traced back to a TPMissue), though it seems the survey was sent out to people who are already fans of (or at least familiar with) theMicrosoftoperating system, with 51% of people in the poll being members of the Windows Insider Program and a further 17% of non-members now planning to join the program to test Windows 11 before its public launch.
Among the features that are most anticipated, the centered Start menu unexpectedly came out on top with 35%, followed by native support for Android apps (26%) andXbox Game Passand AutoHDRearning a combined 13% of the audience’s favor.
Opinion: Don’t read too much into this
It’s interesting to see these statistics, and the high number of users participating certainly adds a lot of weight to the findings, but we wouldn’t look too deeply into it. Not because the poll results are inaccurate in any way, but things can change between now and the official launch day for Windows 11.
With over half of the participants also being members of the Windows Insider Club, the people being polled are already fans of Microsoft and its operating systems (or at least invested in the Windows ecosystem), enough so to willingly help test experimental features and services.
This isn’t to say that peoplewon’tbe rushing to upgrade, but anticipating numbers for upgrade percentages in the general public before launch day feels a tad pointless if over half the people surveyed already like Windows enough to have already tried the service.
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We don’t just need to consider individuals either. It’s unlikely that many large organizations will jump to upgrade their systems immediately if history is any indication. We reported last year thatone in three NHS computerswas still runningWindows 7even after the OS had reached itsEnd of Life phase, andForbes reportedback in 2019 that similarly, one in three businesses still ranWindows XP.Using an outdated operating system can cause dangerous security breaches, so Microsoft has a great deal of motivation to persuade commercial and business users to make the leap to Windows 11, but it’s unlikely we will see people let go ofWindows 10so willingly. The older OS will have ongoing support until 2025, which does give Microsoft some time to convince those who are hesitant to get on board, but with so manyconcerns surrounding bugsandcompatibility with older hardware, it’s not going to be easy.
Jess is a former TechRadar Computing writer, where she covered all aspects of Mac and PC hardware, including PC gaming and peripherals. She has been interviewed as an industry expert for the BBC, and while her educational background was in prosthetics and model-making, her true love is in tech and she has built numerous desktop computers over the last 10 years for gaming and content creation. Jess is now a journalist at The Verge.
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