Better Late Than Never: Microsoft Hits Huge Milestone for Windows 10

Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) stock made a handy gain on Tuesday on one of the few positive days that the market has seen since the sell-off began in mid-February. The company announced Monday that there are now a billion active machines running the Windows 10 operating system.

Note that this number includes Xbox Ones, laptops, personal computers and more.

The good news here is that while Microsoft hit the original goal that it set for devices running Windows 10, this goal was reached two years later than expected. Most of this delay was due to competition with Apple and Alphabet.

Microsoft had been planning to put Windows 10 on a billion devices within three years of the release. However, this timeline was extended after the Windows Phone flopped and failed to challenge Apple’s iPhone and Alphabet’s Android for market share.

Also, Microsoft reached this milestone just a couple months after it ended support for its Windows 7 operating system. Obviously, this helped with an influx of devices and culminated in crossing the billion mark.

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Another major transition at the company occurred over the weekend when Bill Gates announced that he would be stepping down from Microsoft’s board of directors to dedicate more time to his philanthropic works. Note that he will continue to serve as a technology advisor to CEO Satya Nadella and other leaders in the company.

Microsoft stock traded up about 7% at $145.00 on Tuesday, in a 52-week range of $115.52 to $190.70. The consensus price target is $193.58.

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