14-Year-Old Windows XP Still Has More Users Than Windows 8.x
Microsoft ended support for Windows XP a year ago, but that hasn't stopped nearly two out of every 10 Windows users from clinging to the legacy operating system, according to data collected by Net Applications. What's even more interesting about Windows XP's 16.94 percent of the desktop PC market is that it once again has eclipsed the number of Windows 8 and 8.1 users combined.
Here's the deal -- based on Net Application's numbers, Windows 8.1 ended March with a 10.55 percent share of the desktop PC market while Windows 8 crossed over in April with a 3.52 percent share. Between the to, that works out to a 14.07 percent share of the market, which is 2.87 percent less than Windows XP, a 14-year-old OS. And if you're wondering about Windows 7, it ended the month at a dominating 58.04 percent share.
If you go back to November of last year, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 combined for an 18.65 share of the market, compared to Windows XP at 13.57 percent (and Windows 7 at 56.41 percent). That was the one and only month where Windows 8/8.1 installs outnumbered Windows XP installs. November also represents the lowest Windows XP's share of the desktop market has been for as far back as Net Applications lets us look.
So, what gives? Well, for whatever reason, it was a down month for Windows XP in November. A month prior, Windows XP's share of the market was 3.61 percent higher and going back a month further it was 4.69 percent higher. We're not sure why it dipped so much in November, but that's on reason why Windows 8/8.1 was able to temporarily pull ahead.
Source: Net Applications
As for now, it's possible that some Windows 8/8.1 users have jumped ship to Windows 10, which is available free of charge in Technical Preview form. This would help explain why Windows 8/8.1 has stayed flat for the past three months.
Whatever the case might be, Windows XP isn't going down easy, especially since businesses can pay Microsoft for extended support, which is sometimes cheaper than trying to upgrade the entire infrastructure.
Here's the deal -- based on Net Application's numbers, Windows 8.1 ended March with a 10.55 percent share of the desktop PC market while Windows 8 crossed over in April with a 3.52 percent share. Between the to, that works out to a 14.07 percent share of the market, which is 2.87 percent less than Windows XP, a 14-year-old OS. And if you're wondering about Windows 7, it ended the month at a dominating 58.04 percent share.
If you go back to November of last year, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 combined for an 18.65 share of the market, compared to Windows XP at 13.57 percent (and Windows 7 at 56.41 percent). That was the one and only month where Windows 8/8.1 installs outnumbered Windows XP installs. November also represents the lowest Windows XP's share of the desktop market has been for as far back as Net Applications lets us look.
So, what gives? Well, for whatever reason, it was a down month for Windows XP in November. A month prior, Windows XP's share of the market was 3.61 percent higher and going back a month further it was 4.69 percent higher. We're not sure why it dipped so much in November, but that's on reason why Windows 8/8.1 was able to temporarily pull ahead.
Source: Net Applications
As for now, it's possible that some Windows 8/8.1 users have jumped ship to Windows 10, which is available free of charge in Technical Preview form. This would help explain why Windows 8/8.1 has stayed flat for the past three months.
Whatever the case might be, Windows XP isn't going down easy, especially since businesses can pay Microsoft for extended support, which is sometimes cheaper than trying to upgrade the entire infrastructure.
