According to a recent report by savings.com, nearly 40% of Windows users are completely unaware of Windows 11 and its impending launch coming next week. For the users who do know about Windows 11, nearly half haven't decided if they will continue to use Windows 10 or install Windows 11.
Savings.com surveyed 1,042 adults living in the United States who run Windows as their primary operating system to see how many were aware of Microsoft's new OS. The participants were asked if they knew about Windows 11, if their computer was ready for Windows 11, and what their favorite features were about the OS.
Only 38% of participants said they were aware of a major change coming to the OS, with 45% of that group unaware of Windows 11's release in October. Plus, only a third of users knew if their system could meet Windows 11's system requirements.
When asked about favorite features, most were simply unsure of which feature they liked the most in Windows 11. But, out of the respondents who did have a favorite feature, they liked running Android apps the most. Microsoft's new UI came in second, and gaming-boosting capabilities (like direct storage) were third.
It remains to be seen whether the relatively low pre-launch buzz for Windows 11 will directly affect Microsoft in a negative way. Windows 11 hasn't been released just yet, so most users have no real reason to learn about the new operating system until they can get their hands on it.
That's not to mention that many Windows users have no control over the Windows 11 upgrade path. Moreover, Microsoft's higher system requirements will lock a large number of machines out from installing Windows 11 in the first place, giving users yet another reason to pay little attention to Windows 11 unless they need a new machine.
So it's very early to tell if low popularity will impact Windows 11 sales. If history is anything to go by, then Windows 11 will become the more popular and dominant OS regardless of mainstream popularity, largely because Microsoft will phase out Windows 10 eventually — we expect all future OEM systems to ship with Windows 11 out of the box once the OS is available.
