Windows 10 Installed on 200 Million PCs [Update]

UPDATE: Windows 10 has been installed on more than 200 million devices, Microsoft revealed on Monday.

Yusuf Mehdi, vice president of Windows and Devices, explained in a blog post that the install numbers shows that adoption of the new operating system was accelerating.

He said: "In fact, Windows 10 continues to be on the fastest growth trajectory of any version of Windows ever, outpacing Windows 7 by nearly 140 percent and Windows 8 by nearly 400 percent."

Microsoft says its long-term ambition is to record Windows 10 on more than one billion devices.

Original article follows:

Microsoft's latest computer operating system, Windows 10, has been installed on more than 164 million PCs, according to new data published by metrics vendor Net Applications.

If the independent data is accurate, then it would suggest that Windows 10 is now the active operating system on about eleven percent of all Windows devices. However, according to PC World, the growth of the operating system has been in slight decline since September.

The apparent milestone was reached some five months since Windows 10's global launch. Those who run PCs on older Windows OSes can upgrade for free until July 2016. The last time a Microsoft representative offered guidance on Windows 10 install numbers was in October, when Terry Myerson (executive VP of Windows and Devices) said the OS had been installed on 110 million devices. Two months prior to this, the official install number was 75 million devices.

Therefore, a notable upswing PC installs throughout November December would be necessary for Net Applications' data to be accurate.

Windows 10, which shipped in late July, features optional voice commands (named after the Halo character Cortana), as well as a redesigned start menu reminiscent of the Windows 8 Metro layout. Panels on the new start menu can offer live updates from news and social media, while desktop notifications are available to those who connect the OS with their Twitter and Facebook accounts.

The operating system also comes with an Xbox app, which can be paired with Xbox Ones. If users connect the two, they can stream gameplay from their console to PC across a local network.