Considering the recent history of Microsoft‘s lackluster OS launches, it came as a surprise to many that Microsoft chose to hang its hat on a specific estimate last year for total installations of its then-new Windows 10 operating system. Pride comes before the fall, though, and now Microsoft is walking back from that very objective.
In a statement to ZDNet, a Microsoft spokesperson confirmed that the company was no longer planning on hitting its stated goal of 1 billion installations of its Windows 10 OS by mid-2018. The tech giant didn’t provide any numbers suggesting a slowdown of installations in recent months, but a dwindling market for computers combined with a rise in mobile phone sales (i.e., non-Windows mobile phone sales) may have something to do with Windows 10’s wheels spinning in the dirt.
“We’re pleased with our progress to date, but due to the focusing of our phone hardware business, it will take longer than FY18 for us to reach our goal of 1 billion monthly active devices,” a Microsoft spokesperson told ZDNet. “In the year ahead, we are excited about usage growth coming from commercial deployments and new devices and increasing customer delight with Windows.”
What growth Windows 10 does see on mobile devices now should be seen as little better than found money, especially after Microsoft’s unceremonious dumping of its Nokia-backed phone business back in 2014. Now, the only way forward for the software (but not necessarily hardware) giant might be to develop a line of must-have devices all its own.
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