Earlier this week, Windows Central conducted a poll asking how many of you would take the free upgrade to Windows 10 on July 29. It is an interesting question because presumably not everyone wants a fresh OS on 'day one'. Instead, some users may wish to wait for reviews from their trusted sources, or wait a couple of months for Microsoft to patch any holes through software updates.
Four days later and we have the results. In one of our highest response rates ever to a poll, 9,104 of you gave us your answer. To prevent repeat or 'bot' voting users were blocked by a cookie and their IP address.
Results
The results were highly significant with nearly eighty percent ( 78.24% ) of you saying you will update your computer on the day of the Windows 10 release.
Only 1.82 percent of you flat out said 'no' to the upgrade.
Eighteen percent ( 17.74% ) of you said you are waiting until some time later, presumably after feedback, have read reviews or until Microsoft releases a few updates.
Finally, 2.2 percent of you said 'no' due to your need or desire to keep Windows Media Center (WMC). Microsoft has essentially killed this product although they are bringing over features from it when they can, to Windows 10. Still, many people have large media collections that they are not willing to part with quite yet.
Analysis
Our poll had over nine thousand respondents, which is typically significant in traditional polling. Conceding that this poll was not random and a pre-selected audience, the results are still valuable due to the large sample size and ostensibly knowledgeable respondents.
With eighty percent of you taking the upgrade in July Microsoft has convinced the masses (or at least core users) that Windows 10 will be ready by that time. That is a seemingly high-level of confidence from our audience.
Granted, some of you are using the Windows Insider program with early access to Windows 10. Those people have to take the upgrade on July 29 or rollback to 8.1 before that date. The other selling point is that the Windows 10 upgrade is free for all of those on Windows 7 or later.
Nonetheless, eighty-percent is a rather high number that implies that Microsoft's core audience likes what they see and cannot wait to try the new OS.
Will everyone who voted 'yes' actually take the update? Likely not, but at least we can now say that Microsoft's vision for a new OS is resonating and they seem to be on the right track.
