Windows 11 adoption is slowing, and we finally know why
In the consumer sector, Windows 11 adoption is moving at a reasonable pace. However, for businesses, the OS may have reached its limits, as businesses struggle to upgrade machines to meet the minimum requirements.
IT asset management group Lensweeper has found that the Windows 11 adoption rate by October 2023 is now 8.35%, a slight jump from the 5.74% seen in September 2022. However, research has been conducted on approximately 33 million Windows devices in the enterprise sector. , Lensweeper has concluded that it is largely device incompatibility that is largely preventing Windows 11 updates.
One of the group’s primary findings showed that about 67.5% of workstations are eligible to automatically update to Windows 11, as they have the necessary components required for the rollout: CPU, RAM, and Trusted Platform Module (TPM). Specifically, 67.5% of CPU, 93.8% of RAM, and 74.8% of TPM meet the requirements. However, this still leaves 32% of devices that are not compatible with it
IT staff also have the option to update the device manually. But there is another problem, not only in time-consuming work but also in constant maintenance, especially if the devices do not remain compatible. Windows 11 has basic specific requirements for installation, which include a 1 GHz processor (or faster), 4 GB RAM, and at least 64 GB storage on a 64-bit processor or SoC with two or more cores. Critically, this requires the use of a TPM, which is only supported on newer Intel and AMD processors.
Lanceweeper noted that the increase in Windows 11 upgrades is due to businesses replacing older devices with newer workstations with more powerful specifications in addition to the latest software. With this method, transition to
“This report serves as a call to action for businesses and IT professionals. This “underscores the urgent need for organizations to reevaluate their strategies for adopting Windows 11,” Esben Dochi, senior technical product evangelist at Lensweeper, said in a research report.
“Having a well-thought-out migration and upgrade plan supported by accurate IT asset data is critical to a successful long-term IT strategy,” he said.
Older systems including Windows 7, 8 and XP have finally been retired forever and are being replaced with Windows 11. Since these systems no longer receive updates, in particular, security updates from Microsoft, they are the most vulnerable to cyber attacks. Windows 10 is currently the most popular of all Microsoft systems with an 80.5% adoption rate. However, the brand is also ending support for this version, which will enter its final phase on October 14, 2025.
For consumers, adoption of Windows 11 has been solid since its release. However, according to Tom’s Hardware, Windows 10 still holds the top spot in terms of total PC share.
