Windows 10 reaches a billion active devices

Windows 10 has finally made its way to one billion active devices, according to Microsoft's CVP of Modern Life, Search and Devices, Yusuf Mehdi. 

In a blog post, Mehdi explained that Windows 10 has made its way to the ridiculous number of systems across 200 countries around the world. Effectively, it works out that one in every seven people are using the operating system. That includes 100 percent of the Fortune 500, giving Mehdi the perfect chance to say that 'it has become a critical platform for driving business transformation in the enterprise and beyond'.

Of course, arguably, that's because everyone is used to Windows rather than because it's the best out there, but that's a debate that could rage for a long time to come. Either way, Windows 10 is now a considerably big deal, even if it has taken longer to achieve its aim than anticipated. At its launch in July 2015, Microsoft declared it was aiming to hit the one-billion number in two or three years, so it's not exactly achieved that, but just under five years isn't too shabby either.

Windows 10 is a shakeup from previous operating systems, most notably because rather than releasing a new version every three years, it enjoys multiple version updates per year. It's the perfect opportunity for Mehdi to point out that new features and security updates 'are now delivered faster than ever before.'

Mehdi used the time to also point out the advantages of 'decoupling' the new Chromium-based Edge browser from Windows 10 so that new builds can be delivered to customers outside of the normal Windows 10 update schedule. He also cited the 17.8 million Windows Insider members who use test versions of Windows 10 in a bid to find bugs as quickly as possible before they can reach the mainstream users. 

Microsoft ended Windows 7 support earlier this year (outside of a quick patch shortly afterwards) which has certainly helped with the uptake of Windows 10. Ultimately though, it's been a steady rise to supreme dominance for the operating system with Windows 10 available on over 80,000 models and configurations of different laptops and 2-in-1 from over 1,000 different manufacturers. 

What's next for the firm? Well, it kind of already has achieved world domination. Even if Windows 10 isn't technically the biggest operating system out there just yet, with Android accounting for 2.5 billion devices, Microsoft has a lot to celebrate.