Microsoft EVP Yusuf Mehdi said in a blog post last week that Windows powers over a billion active devices globally. This might sound like a healthy number, but according to ZDNET, the Microsoft annual report for 2022 said that more than 1.4 billion devices were running Windows 10 or 11. Given that these documents contain material information and have allegedly been pored over by the tech giant’s lawyers, we can safely assume that Windows’ user base has been quietly shrinking in the past three years, shedding around 400 million users.
Technically, MSFT can create Windows versions for TVs, smartphones, and smartwatches. Because they’ve made Windows development more modular, they’re not developing it because it won’t generate significant profits or revenue.
That’s until OpenAI announces an AI-powered device, and if it ends up being a mainstream consumer success, we’ll see many companies creating something similar, adding to the integration of it into their ecosystems.