In the United Kingdom You Can No Longer Make the Assumption People Use Windows (or 'Smart' 'Phone')
As autumn arrives Microsoft faces a crisis (speaking from personal observation and experience)
This week: PIP Layoffs at Microsoft, Even in India
Based on what I read last year, over a million Brits do not have a mobile phone and that's not because of poverty. Similarly, many insist on using cash and not because they're dumb* or "dodgy". Many never use Windows and it's not because they're unable to afford the licence (many of them pay a lot more for Apple 'Macs' or PCs with an "Apple" logo/branding).
From what we can estimate, based on open data from CDNs, ~64% of people use Windows on laptops/desktops in the United Kingdom (similar figure from statCounter). That's just based on Web-connected machines that aren't just on the Net but also the Web (not the same thing).
In the US, it is even worse for Windows, which used to have 90% or more on laptops/desktops. Not anymore. Not even close!
How did this happen? "Why does WIN 11 and CoPilot SUCK so Bad?" somebody asked earlier this week. "Because management is focused on revenue and profitability regardless of the applicability and quality of the software being written," someone responded.
If many people abandon Windows, then good. Good riddance. But that does not mean the end of digital oppression. We have many more challenges to deal with after that. We'll be focusing on GAFAM and other "High-Priority Opponents" in the coming years. I plan to carry on doing this for decades and others in the team are equally patient. █
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* The United Kingdom has a high proportion of well educated people and the average person is quite polite and reasonable. Those who are not polite and reasonable are free to leave; they can bully Brits from another continent, but there are limits to what they can accomplish.
Image source: Sunset in the mountains in autumn