Surging Windows 8.1 overtakes Windows XP usage

100043405Surging Windows 8.1 overtakes Windows XP usage


Microsoft is doing a fine job of burying Windows XP, but still has a long way to go toward getting people onto the latest version of its operating system.
According to Statcounter, usage of Windows 8.1 narrowly overtook Windows XP in November. That's partly due to record growth for Windows 8.1, which went from 9.31 percent in October to 10.95 percent last month. Windows XP usage also continued to plummet in its seventh full month without Microsoft support  dropping from 11.95 percent to 10.69 percent.

Windows 8.1 is likely benefiting from the back-to-school season, as most new PCs are shipping with the operating system on board. Some Windows 8 users may still be getting around to the free upgrade as well, as Windows 8 usage dropped from 5.94 percent to 4.9 percent in November.
statcounternov14 Statcounter
But none of this activity appears to be harming Windows 7, whose usage increased for the second straight month. The five-year-old operating system now accounts for 50.34 percent of desktop usage, so it's the most popular desktop OS by far.
Another metrics firm, Netmarketshare , also recorded share increases for both Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 last month, but still shows Windows XP ahead of the latest version by a narrow margin, despite plummeting usage for the ancient OS. It seems likely that Windows 8.1 will land on top for both metrics firms within a month or two.
The story behind the story: On some level, Microsoft is happy as long as it's selling licenses. (In its push to kill XP, the company has encouraged users to consider either Windows 7 or Windows 8 .) But of course, Microsoft would prefer to get users onto the latest version, which is tied more deeply into services like OneDrive and Bing. Expect a major upgrade offensive against Windows 7 next year, with rumors of free or cheap consumer upgrades to the more desktop-friendly Windows 10.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Learn which startup programs are safe to remove

Image
The longer you run your computer, the more clutter it accumulates. This takes the form of programs you no longer need, bloatware you never wanted in the first place, and/or adware you didn't intend to install. The result: slow booting, slow operation, slow everything. To improve the situation, you can uninstall unwanted, unneeded programs. And if you're a little more tech-savvy, you can venture into msconfig to prevent system-dragging software from running at startup. Ah, but which programs are safe to uninstall and/or block? The last thing you want to do is remove some essential Windows element, which could do more harm than good. Should I Remove It? is a free utility that helps you answer exactly that question. The program analyzes everything installed on your computer, then helps you determine what's safe to remove. It does so by displaying both a rating for each program and a crowd-sourced removal percentage (i.e. how many "users and experts&
Read more

WhatsApp gets rid of annual subscription fee

Image
WhatsApp   has announced that it will axe its $1 annual subscription fee starting today. The Facebook-owned messaging service is nearing a billion users, and will start exploring alternate business models. WhatsApp failed to monetize in emerging markets due to low debit and credit card penetration, which led to the service being   offered for free. Today's announcement reflects a change of strategy that will see the platform acting as a facilitator between businesses and customers: Naturally, people might wonder how we plan to keep WhatsApp running without subscription fees and if today's announcement means we're introducing third-party ads. The answer is no. Starting this year, we will test tools that allow you to use WhatsApp to communicate with businesses and organizations that you want to hear from. That could mean communicating with your bank about whether a recent transaction was fraudulent, or with an airline about a delayed flight. We all get these messag
Read more

Second-gen Chromecast tipped with faster Wi-Fi, Spotify support, and more

Image
Two new Nexus phones aren’t the only items expected at Google’s press event on September 29. Google’s also gearing up to introduce a second-generation Chromecast, according to 9to5Google. The new streaming device is expected to come in a round shape loaded with improved Wi-Fi, a new feature called Fast Play, support for audio systems, and feed integration with the device’s main screen. That’s about where the details end, however, as specifics are in short supply. The current Chromecast uses 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, so it sounds like the next version will support the newer 802.11 ac Wi-Fi, but that’s just speculation at this point. The Fast Play feature apparently means the next Chromecast will connect faster than the original version when you “cast” something from your mobile device. As for the feeds, there’s no word on what this is. 9to5Google figures it means you’ll be able to integrate social media feeds when the Chromecast flips to its idle backdrop mode. Backdrop
Read more