It will take longer to reach Windows 10 goal: Microsoft

Microsoft says Windows 10 is now running on more than 350 million PCs and other devices

By: AP
San Francisco | July 16, 2016 01:02 PM IST

1 min read

Microsoft, Windows 10, Windows 10 1 billion users, Microsoft Windows 10 user base, Windows 10 installation, Windows 10 free upgrade, Microsoft backtracks on Windows 10 goal. Windows 10 PC goals, tech news, technology

Microsoft Windows 10 comes with a redesigned start screen, Hello face recognition and Cortana digital assistant

Microsoft is backing off its ambitious goal of getting Windows 10 on 1 billion devices by 2018.

The company is blaming its own decision to scale back its smartphone business over the last year. Microsoft said that’s slowing efforts to deploy the newest version of its flagship software on PCs, game consoles and mobile devices like tablets and phones.

[related-post]

Microsoft says Windows 10 is now running on more than 350 million PCs and other devices. Analysts say that’s an impressive rate of adoption for software released last year. But Microsoft has sold relatively few smartphones and has cut back its phone operation.

In a statement Friday, Microsoft acknowledged “it will take longer” to get Windows 10 on a billion devices, but didn’t set a new timetable. Its shares fell 30 cents to $53.44 in afternoon trading Friday.