Windows 11 Is Growing, But Not As Fast As Windows 10
Dell has revealed that the global shift from Windows 10 to Windows 11 is behind expectations. During its latest Q3 earnings call, Dell’s chief operating officer Jeffrey Clarke admitted that the company has not yet completed the Windows 11 transition across its customer base.
Compared with the move from Windows 7 and Windows 8 to Windows 10, this new upgrade cycle is noticeably slower. Dell says that by this point in the previous transition, adoption numbers were 10 to 12 percentage points higher than they are now with Windows 11.
This lines up with broader data from the PC space. Windows 11 only overtook Windows 10 as the most popular Microsoft operating system in mid 2025, almost four years after launch. For many users and gamers, the main reason to finally upgrade was not excitement about new features, but the looming end of support for Windows 10.
Even on Steam, where you would expect gamers to be running fairly modern rigs, survey data showed a noticeable late surge in Windows 11 adoption as Windows 10’s end of life date approached. That suggests a large part of the PC community was perfectly happy to stay on Windows 10 until forced to move.
Why So Many PCs Still Are Not On Windows 11
One big difference this time around is that Windows 11 has stricter hardware requirements than Windows 10. You cannot just install it on any older machine. Dell’s numbers put this into perspective.
The company estimates the worldwide PC installed base at around 1.5 billion units. Out of those:
- About 500 million PCs are capable of running Windows 11 but have not been upgraded yet.
- Another 500 million PCs do not meet the Windows 11 requirements and would need a full hardware replacement.
That is a huge chunk of systems still running Windows 10 or even older versions. For everyday users and gamers alike, upgrading is not just a quick download. It can mean:
- Buying a new CPU and motherboard that support TPM 2.0 and modern instruction sets.
- Moving to newer memory standards and storage if they also use the upgrade as a full platform refresh.
- Facing higher prices for components like RAM and potentially graphics cards.
Component cost is a real factor. Recent price increases in memory and concerns about GPU pricing can slow down the normal replacement cycle. If a gamer looks at the cost of a new CPU, board, RAM and maybe a graphics card on top, staying on Windows 10 for a bit longer can feel like the smart financial move, even if support is ending.
There is also the satisfaction factor. Windows 8 was widely disliked, so the jump to Windows 10 felt like an obvious win. Windows 10, on the other hand, is still beloved by many users. Windows 11 offers a refreshed interface and some under the hood improvements, but the benefits do not feel as urgent. That lack of clear must have upgrades contributes to the slower adoption rate.
AI PCs, NPUs And The Future Of The PC Market
Despite the slow transition, Dell sees a lot of opportunity in the coming years. Clarke describes the 1 billion plus PCs that are either not yet on Windows 11 or cannot run it as rich opportunities to upgrade to modern technology.
Part of that modern tech push is about AI ready PCs. The industry is moving toward systems with built in NPUs, or neural processing units, which are dedicated chips designed to accelerate AI and machine learning workloads locally on your computer.
For gamers and power users, this shift could mean:
- Better on device AI features such as real time voice cleanup, background removal and upscaling without hammering your CPU and GPU.
- New game features that lean on local AI processing instead of sending everything to the cloud.
- Improved performance in creator workloads like video editing, photo enhancement and 3D content generation.
Dell expects the overall PC market to remain roughly flat year over year in the near term, at least from its own perspective. Previously, it had seen growth in the mid to high single digits. However, the company is clearly betting that AI flavored hardware will be a major driver of demand.
That bet is already paying off in its server and networking business. Dell reported 10.1 billion dollars in revenue from that segment, a huge 37 percent increase compared to the previous year. AI servers, storage and networking infrastructure are in high demand as companies race to build and run large AI models.
For Microsoft, there is no real option but to keep pushing Windows 11. The company is integrating AI features deeply into the operating system and its ecosystem of apps and services. To fully benefit from those, users need to be on the latest platform with the right security and hardware foundations.
So while the upgrade process is slow, it is still moving forward. As more games and applications start to expect Windows 11 and as AI centric features become more common, older systems will feel increasingly left behind. At the same time, price trends in key components like RAM and GPUs will heavily influence how fast everyday users and gamers decide to make the jump.
In short, Windows 11 is happening. Just not at the breakneck pace we saw with Windows 10. For PC builders, enthusiasts and gamers, that slow burn might actually be a good thing. It gives you more time to plan smart upgrades, watch prices and decide exactly when moving to a new platform makes sense for your setup.
Original article and image: https://www.pcgamer.com/software/windows/surprise-surprise-people-are-still-in-no-hurry-to-switch-to-windows-11-dell-reveals/
