Will Windows 10 Replace Windows 7's Dominance?

Shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) continue to surge on Thursday, after the company released, on Wednesday, the much-awaited upgrade to Windows 8.1. Windows 10 was rolled out as a free update for previous versions of the operating system.  

Related Link: How Microsoft's Windows 10 Upgrade Is Going To Be A 'Rising Tide That Lifts All Boats'

As expected, Wall Street analysts, users and nerds are wondering if the new operating system will be a hit or not. In a recent Statista article, Data Journalist Felix Richter tried to answer this question.

“In the past, Microsoft has had a very mixed track record with its major Windows releases and many observers claim that past Windows versions have followed a distinct pattern, a pattern that is best described as hit and miss,” he wrote.

What Richter basically means is that, for every successful version of the Windows OS, there is a failed one. Examples of the first case include Windows 3.1, 98, XP and 7; examples of unsuccessful versions are Windows 95, ME, Vista and 8. So, if history repeats itself, Widows 10 should come as an improved, much more successful and accepted version of the previous OS, Windows 8.

It remains to be seen if Windows 10 can become the new Windows 7 -- in terms of popularity. Here's a graphic Richter put together that shows the clear dominance of Windows 7.