2015 feels like so long ago! Obama was in the White House. A black-and-blue dress – or is it gold-and-white? – was dividing the internet. The Star Wars sequel trilogy was just beginning. And right in the middle, a great version of Windows was born.
Folks here at Puget Systems had been trying out the Windows 10 Tech Preview earlier in the year, but our first sale of the full version of Windows 10 was on the day it was released: July 15th, 2015. That first month, or half-month really, we sold 35 systems with Windows 10. By the end of the year, we were averaging over 150 a month – and Windows 7 sales were down to about 1/3rd of that, despite its popularity, while Windows 8 had dropped out entirely.
Windows 10 was a clear success from the start, so it probably comes as no surprise that it has lasted even well after the launch of Windows 11. Unfortunately, we are drawing to the end: Puget Systems will stop offering Windows 10 on our systems at the end of 2024.
In fact, several of our workstations are not available with Windows 10 right now. We have found in the last couple of product launches that driver support for Windows 10 is lacking on many recent motherboards, such that various features simply don’t work. WiFi 7 is one such example, and the latest Thunderbolt 5 is hit or miss in Windows 10 depending on the board. We are limited to only offering Windows 11 and Ubuntu Linux on such systems, though Linux can also sometimes have minor compatibility issues with features like WiFi and audio. Dealing with the added complexity of trying to test and resolve (when possible) these problems has taken its toll on our R&D team, and removing it from our qualification process for new components will free up much-needed time to pursue new products.
Not only is hardware support starting to flag, but Microsoft is also nearing the end of official updates for Windows 10. Currently, the last free updates are slated for October 2025 – although they are offering paid support for another year after that for those of us who insist on sticking with Windows 10 till the bitter end.
Oh, had I not mentioned that I am still running Windows 10 myself? That is part of why this hits so close to home for me, and I chose to write briefly about it today. Not only is my main workstation on Windows 10, but also my work laptop, my home theater PC, my wife’s laptop, our kids’ gaming PCs, and their school laptops. We are a fully Windows 10 household! So it pains me that we have reached the point where we will soon be unable to offer this fantastic version of Windows to our customers.
That brings me to the last reason that we are finally making this decision: demand has slowly but steadily faded over the last couple of years. In mid-2023, Windows 10 was still found on about 15% of the systems we sold. Then it was down to around 10% by the start of this year, and now it is at less than 5%.
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Between all of those things, it is clear that the writing is on the wall and the end of Windows 10 is nigh. In fact, for a while now, we’ve actually had to sell Windows 11 licenses and then install Windows 10 via Microsoft’s “downgrade” program. So this really should come as a surprise to no one, least of all me… but I still find myself getting nostalgic and wistful. You had a good run, Windows 10, and even once you’re gone you will not be forgotten!
If you want to get a new workstation or laptop with Windows 10, you have until the end of December 2024 to order from us here at Puget Systems. Visit our configure pages to see which platforms can support this operating system, or reach out to our sales consultants through the form below if you have any questions.
If you’d rather not wait, you can reach out to us via phone during our business hours.
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1-888-784-3872