Windows XP's Popularity Holds in January -- Redmondmag.com

Windows XP's Popularity Holds in January

By Scott Bekker
02/04/2014

Microsoft's Windows XP operating system will lose product support in April, but users are holding on.

At least that's what the recent OS market share numbers issued by Net Applications seem to imply. Net Applications published its month-end numbers on Feb. 1, showing Windows XP at 29.23 percent share. At a time when users and organizations globally should be jettisoning the operating system, the usage share actually showed a very slight increase compared with the 28.98 percent Windows XP market share measured at the close of 2013.

The Net Applications figures are based on data extracted from visitors to the company's global network of thousands of partner sites.

With 64 days remaining until Microsoft officially ends Windows XP support on April 8, the aging OS is holding on stubbornly. Windows XP use has followed a stair-step pattern of drops over the last half year, falling from about 37 percent in June and July to roughly 31 percent from September through November before hitting its current plateau.

Meanwhile, Windows 8/8.1 showed very slight growth to around 10.5 percent share in January, narrowly widening its lead against the "other" category, which includes Apple Macintoshes, Google Chrome OS, Linux and everything else. Other OSes also plateaued from December to January at 9.4 percent.

About the Author

Scott Bekker is editor in chief of Redmond Channel Partner magazine.

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