A report from analytics firm AdDuplex suggests some users may skip the Windows 10 October 2018 update (1809) entirely. The company, which pulls its data from thousands of Windows Store apps, says just 21.2% of users are on 1809.
After countless bugs, data loss issues, and more, the October 2018 update saw a late rollout and several delays. By that point, many had lost all confidence in Microsoft’s ability to deliver a stable build, and that’s reflected in the statistics.
On February 25th, 71.8% of users were still on the Windows 10 April 2018 update (1803). 3.7% were still on the Fall Creators update, and 3.2% on earlier builds. More critically, though, the adoption rate of 1809 pales in comparison to previous releases.
An Unenviable Choice
Adoption of 1809 is just starting to ramp up, yet the next 1903 is set for release just next month. This leaves Microsoft with just two choices: upgrade users to 1809 for two months, or simply stop its rollout and go directly to 1903.
The first option means users will have to deal with the lengthy update process twice in a short period, which is sure to cause complaints. The second is more desirable but would make Home users wonder why it wasn’t a choice in the first place.
Either way, the mess that was the Windows 10 October update has caused some unique challenges for Microsoft. Never before has an update failed to gain traction so spectacularly. Going forward, it will have to both assure users of quality and offer more options when it comes to updates.
With insider 1903 builds, some users are reporting the ability to pause all updates for 35 days. It’ll be a welcome change to workarounds like registry edits or fake metered connections, but some will argue it’s still not enough.
