Microsoft shared a new milestone for the Windows 10 ecosystem during its earning calls for its FY2021 Q3 results. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced that Windows 10 now has more than 1.3 billion monthly active devices, a number that includes PCs and all devices running a Windows 10-based OS such as HoloLens headsets or Xbox consoles.
Windows remains a big money maker for Microsoft, especially since PC sales increased with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Microsoft announced yesterday a Windows OEM revenue growth of 10 percent for the past quarter, as well as a 44% growth for OEM non-Pro revenue and a 2% decrease for OEM Pro revenue.
As Windows 10 is about to celebrate its sixth anniversary in July, 2021 should be a very important year for the OS. Earlier this year, a job posting mentioned the company’s ambition to deliver “a sweeping visual rejuvenation of Windows experiences to signal to our customers that Windows is BACK.” Microsoft’s Chief Product Officer for Windows and Devices Panos Panay continued the teasing at Ignite last month and said that “it’s going to be a massive year” for Windows.
In the second half of the year, Windows 10 version 21H2 is expected to introduce a big design update codenamed “Sun Valley,” and we already had a glimpse of upcoming taskbar changes in recent Windows Insider builds. Windows 10X, a new version of the OS for Chromebook-like devices is also expected to make its debut later this year, with the first series of devices targeting the education market.
