It looks like Microsoft has hit a massive brick wall. People simply aren’t switching to Windows 11 as quickly as the company had hoped. In fact, the transition is much slower than the transition from Windows 7 to Windows 10.
Dell COO Jeffrey Clarke just revealed some eye-opening numbers during an earnings call. He revealed that around 500 million PCs are fully capable of running Windows 11 but are still stuck on Windows 10. That’s half a billion people just…waiting.
And here’s the other half of the problem: Clarke says there are another 500 million computers that are four years old or older and literally cannot be updated. Microsoft’s strict rules on processors and security chips (like the pesky TPM 2.0 requirement) have left these machines in the lurch.
This came right after a Microsoft executive, Pavan Davuluri, tried to twist things by saying, “Nearly a billion people rely on Windows 11,” but he didn’t explain exactly what that meant. The actual numbers suggest a much more difficult situation.
Windows 11: The free party no one wants to attend
This is a huge reality check. Microsoft ended mainstream support for Windows 10 back in October 2025 and expects everyone to jump ship. Instead, the market has split into two parts:
- Half the world uses hardware that is not allowed to be updated.
- The other half could upgrade but just don’t want to.
This hesitation is a cybersecurity nightmare. It also throws a wrench into Microsoft’s big plans to make AI capabilities accessible to everyone. Dell sees this as an opportunity to sell new “AI-enabled” computers, but warns that sales are expected to remain flat until 2026. Without a strong reason to switch, people simply stick with their old, familiar configurations.
If you’re still using Windows 10, you’re definitely not alone – but you’re in a risky situation. Since the end of common security updates, your computer is becoming more vulnerable to hackers every day.
Basically you now have three options:
- Buy a new PC (which Microsoft and Dell want you to do).
- Pay for Extended Security Updates (ESU) to protect your old machine for a little longer.
- Take your chances and stay on an unsupported operating system (not recommended).
For companies, this is a budget problem. Do they pay for the security patches or spend millions replacing perfectly good hardware just to get Windows 11?
What does this mean for you?
Microsoft is in a difficult position. It’s under pressure to perhaps relax strict hardware rules or find a way to make Windows 11 more exciting so people will want to switch.
The company is currently betting on a new wave of AI-powered PCs to attract buyers. But with a billion users currently stuck in “can’t upgrade” or “won’t upgrade” limbo, convincing the world to move on could be the hardest sales pitch Microsoft has ever had to make.
