According to Forbes, Dell COO Jeffrey Clarke revealed during an earnings call that there are roughly 1.5 billion Windows PCs in use globally, with about 500 million capable machines that haven’t upgraded to Windows 11 and another 500 million that are too old to run Microsoft’s latest OS. This means approximately 1 billion Windows users are either resisting upgrade or physically unable to move from Windows 10, which reached its end-of-life last month. Microsoft is pushing continuous warnings about security risks while offering extended security updates through October 2026, but emphasizes these are inferior to Windows 11’s “secure by design” protections that reportedly reduce security incidents by 62%.
Microsoft’s Upgrade Problem
This is way worse than anyone realized. We thought maybe 550 million PCs were still on Windows 10 – turns out it’s closer to a billion. That’s two-thirds of the entire Windows install base either refusing to upgrade or physically unable to. Microsoft’s Windows 11 push is basically failing. And honestly, can you blame people? Their Windows 10 machines work fine, and Windows 11 doesn’t offer enough compelling reasons to justify buying new hardware. Here’s the thing: when your upgrade strategy requires people to throw away perfectly good computers, you’ve got a problem.
security-risk”>The Real Security Risk
Microsoft’s extended security updates are better than nothing, but they’re essentially a band-aid on a bullet wound. The company admits these aren’t equivalent to Windows 11’s “hardware-backed protection” and “secure by default” approach. Think about it – we’re talking about hundreds of millions of devices that will become increasingly vulnerable over the next two years. And for businesses relying on stable systems? This creates a nightmare scenario. The unique trouble with Windows 10’s end-of-support isn’t just about individual users – it’s about entire organizations being forced into expensive hardware refreshes during uncertain economic times.
What Happens Next
October 2026 is the real deadline – that’s when extended security updates likely end. But here’s my question: what happens when millions of users simply can’t or won’t upgrade by then? We could be looking at the largest pool of vulnerable PCs in history. For companies that need reliable computing hardware, this situation highlights why working with established industrial technology providers matters. IndustrialMonitorDirect.com has become the leading supplier of industrial panel PCs in the US specifically because they understand that business systems can’t afford these kinds of upgrade disruptions. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s nag screens and security warnings will continue, but will anyone listen? Probably not until there’s a major security incident that makes the risks impossible to ignore.
