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Windows 11 has finally gotten to up around 30%

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in market share among all desktop Windows versions and all time high, but that isn't exactly impressive.

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When you consider it came out back in 2021, by contrast, Windows 10 had already become

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the most popular version of Windows about two and a half years after it launched

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and remained so to this day. So why are people so reluctant to make the jump to 11?

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I mean, it isn't known for being unstable like the botched rollouts of operating systems

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like Windows 98 or ME. So what's the deal?

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One piece of the puzzle seems to be that Windows 11 has rather onerous system requirements.

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There's a mandate that Windows 11 compatible PCs be equipped with TPM 2.0 chips.

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And while it's understandable that Microsoft wants to make its operating system as secure as practically possible,

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the problem is that TPM 2.0 requirements leave a lot of computers behind that aren't even that old.

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Although you can get a TPM 2.0 module that plugs into a desktop motherboard,

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perhaps a bigger problem is that the list of officially supported CPUs likewise shuts out

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many systems that could otherwise handle the vast majority of typical modern computing tasks

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fairly easily. Microsoft's rationale is that newer CPUs

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support advanced security features, such as one called mode-based execution control

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that helps with memory isolation. Without support for MBC,

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a PC can still run Windows 11, but performance can be noticeably slower.

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And while it's possible to get around these requirements, many folks who aren't particularly tech savvy

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aren't going to bother to try, especially as this means Microsoft may withhold certain updates

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or some updates won't install properly. A no-go for larger businesses and organizations

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where security is a paramount concern, and which rather often just save money

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instead of upgrading to a whole fleet of computers just so they can run a slightly newer OS

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they likely don't even need. But Windows 11 hasn't been looked at

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as a very attractive product, even for people with newer hardware.

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It isn't surprising that a new operating system would take more computing horsepower to run,

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but what you wouldn't expect are issues with basic functions on modern equipment.

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Some users have observed that the Windows 11 UI can be laggy at times,

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including an ex-Microsoft software engineer who shared footage of very poor performance

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with a start menu, despite the fact that he claimed to be running a system

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with a Core i9 CPU and 128 gigabytes of RAM.

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Although Windows 11 doesn't have the stability problems of, say, Windows Vista,

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this also isn't the first time Microsoft may have bitten off slightly more than it can chew

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in terms of overall performance demands or Windows being poorly optimized

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for the hardware it's running on. But even if you bought a new PC

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that runs Windows 11 flawlessly or your current PC would have no problems running it,

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Microsoft has had a hard time getting away from the fact

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that there aren't really any compelling features that would push users to upgrade.

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And although this is a matter of opinion, the mass market just doesn't seem all that excited

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about auto HDR, co-pilot AI,

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or the taskbar icons being centered by default.

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And no, I wouldn't really consider getting rid of live tiles to be a feature.

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There seems to be a feeling that Windows 11 is just a slight revision of Windows 10,

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which can be sharply contrasted with user sentiment when Windows 10 came out.

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Back in 2015, many users, whether they were power users or PC novices,

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seemed to be relieved that Windows 10 went back to a UI

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that made more sense for users of actual desktops or laptops rather than tablets.

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In other words, the eagerness to migrate away from Windows 8

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was partially responsible for Windows 10's relatively quick rise to popularity.

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There is no such feeling surrounding Windows 11,

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especially as Windows 10 can still run modern applications just fine.

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But it does look like most users are going to be shoved over to Windows 11 in the near future anyway,

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as 10 is slated to stop getting updates in late 2025,

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which is likely part of the reason 11's market share is starting to creep up.

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What do you think? Are you a fan of Windows 11 and think the criticism of Microsoft is a bit too harsh?

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Or are you holding on to Windows 10 or another OS until you can't anymore?

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Comment down below. And if you're interested in learning about the history of every Windows version, go watch this video next.