Windows 8 bests Vista as third-most used OS, gains 5.1% of market

[Rick]

According to website traffic data collected by Net Applications, Windows 8 has hit a definite if seemingly unimpressive milestone. Windows 8 has finally managed to surpass its ill-liked ancestor, Windows Vista, in becoming the world's third-most used operating system.

Net Applications' data shows a significant uptake in Windows 8 systems since May, increasing from 4.27-percent to its current 5.1-percent figure.

Of course, running on just 5.1-percent of the world's computers, Windows 8 remains a truly distant third though. Currently, Windows 7 resides on 44.7-percent of systems while XP proudly occupies a still whopping 32.17-percent. Behind Windows 8 lie the three most-recent flavors of Mac OS X, which together total just 6.63-percent of the market. Meanwhile, "Other" operating systems account for only 2.11-percent of computers, globally.

Naturally, those numbers still show Windows overall is tops when it comes to total computer market share. With their figures combined, Windows XP, Vista, 7 and 8 are present on more than 90-percent of the world's computers; undoubtedly, "Microsoft" and "Windows" will remain household names for some time to come.

Despite Windows' immense poularity on desktops and laptops, the OS becomes less prolific when tablets and smartphones are taken into consideration. On mobile devices, there's little question Android and iOS reign supreme. In fact, Ubuntu's parent company, Canonical, recently marked its tongue-in-cheek "Bug #1" ticket as resolved (I.e. "Microsoft has a majority market share") thanks to recent estimates which took into account mobile devices and mobile operating systems.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/53093-windows-8-bests-vista-as-third-most-used-os-gains-51-of-market.html

 

[Mister_K]

Wow XP is still going strong :O

 

[tipstir]

Yes Windows XP Pro is still use by corporate companies because it's easy to adopt to their in-house software code used. Windows 7 had issues. Currently one large insurance company here is upgrading now from Windows XP Pro to Windows 7 Pro. They will not upgrade to Windows 8.

That chart shows you were the two OS are at. Windows 2000 Pro was popular also back then.

 

[Guest]

Mac OSX the third with 6.63, Windows 8 only 4th.

 

[amstech]

As a tech for a large Hospital, we avoided Vista the best we could and are skipping Windows 8 entirely. As in, not a damn workstation in any department for any reason, will have it.

 

[TheBigFatClown]

Wow, that graphic says it all. Windows XP and Windows 7 look like a big pac-man ready to gobble up Windows 8. LoL. Along with the other small players in the game.

I gotta give credit where credit is due. The Windows 8 fanbois had me thinking that Windows 8 was neck-and-neck with the installed base of Windows 7 users. It's amazing how a small group of people can shape the perceptions of others.

 

[Burty117]

I truly hope microsoft reads these articles and statistics, if listening to customers isn't for them, not selling much of your latest product will surely make you think twice next time you release a product plenty of people have said is flawed.

On another note, will Microsoft do another big windows release? I read somewhere windows will now only be updated in a major way once a year as it "evolves", I personally want a proper next windows to go to after 7, you know, one that can play DVD's out the box and doesn't have a menu system that takes up the entire screen.

 

[Jad Chaar]

Lol, finally.

 

[RH00D]

Was anybody actually expecting Windows 8 to overtake 7 when 7 has been on the market for 4 years and Windows 8 only 8 months?

What? Really?

 

[cliffordcooley]

Out of curiosity, how far did Vista climb before starting to fall again? I wonder if Windows 8 will ever climb as high.

 

[Jad Chaar]

Out of curiosity, how far did Vista climb before starting to fall again? I wonder if Windows 8 will ever climb as high.

Some people just used Vista since it was the newest OS on the market and some games began to support DX10 before Win 7. People were forced to use it xD.

 

[Guest]

RHOOD: Of course not with Windows 8 being the catastrophe that it is. I thought Vista was officially killed off by Windows 7, but I guess it's not surprising it holds a similar user base as Windows 8.

 

[SirGCal]

Only because buying a new windows anything with 7 is almost impossible without reinstalling it with your own license or buying another OEM (while you can). The Manufacturer's are all using 8 which is why I haven't been buying a new laptop lately. Actually I think it also could be hurting hardware sales to at least some extent.

 

[SirGCal]

Ohh, but the one thing I forgot to add; still nothing to be proud of... if it ever actually gets the administration issues fixed and then fixes the end-user items properly (metro/etc.) and can surpass windows 7, that would be something. But I suspect people will be waiting for at least Windows 9... At least most of us know, at least lately, it's been an every-other-release type OS.

 

[Burty117]

Was anybody actually expecting Windows 8 to overtake 7 when 7 has been on the market for 4 years and Windows 8 only 8 months?

What? Really?

Windows 7 took the market by storm and was controlling much more market share in the same time span.

Nobody was expecting 8 to overtake anything, I even had my doubts about it overtaking Vista, This just proves that people really don't like Windows 8 as much as Microsoft thinks we do, They could still turn this around and bring out a "Desktop & Desktop Pro" editions which don't have metro in them, or even just give an option to revert to an older desktop theme.

 

[TheBigFatClown]

Ohh, but the one thing I forgot to add; still nothing to be proud of... if it ever actually gets the administration issues fixed and then fixes the end-user items properly (metro/etc.) and can surpass windows 7, that would be something. But I suspect people will be waiting for at least Windows 9... At least most of us know, at least lately, it's been an every-other-release type OS.

I've sat on the sidelines as a passive spectator watching this "Windows 8" freak show go on for several months now. So now, maybe, just maybe Microsoft has finally begun listening just a little bit...so what do they think people are gonna do...run out and buy it because they put back in a start menu? LMFAO. The beauty of it all is that I've had my Start Menu and Start button on my desktop for the past 8 months because I choose not h to install Windows 8 on the day of release. Life is good without Windows 8.

I am waiting on Windows 9 but only in the sense of seeing what it ultimately turns out to be given the disaster that Windows 8 has become. Still very comfortable with Windows 7.

Windows 8 has such negative stigma attached to it I would kinda be ashamed to install it at this point. So yeah, I am holding off any upgrade to my Windows operating system until at least the next name change.

 

[Guest]

It's too bad users get stuck in the past with their old ways. They can't think for themselves so they have the media tell them what to do, they are unable to go and search for themselves in what ways a new OS is better. Windows 8 is a great OS and Windows 8.1 will be even better.

Of course it will surpass Vista. It was only a matter of time. Microsoft's vision of one OS, 3 screens + Cloud vision will come to fruition and people will still harp on the fact that XP is fine. The same gripes can be heard from 95 to XP to 7 to 8 etc. We're asking too much of people to change.

 

[Guest]

What about Android OS???

 

[ypsylon]

That is truly significant news. What it really says is that: XP is still 7 times better than W8. And there is no hope in hell for W8 overtaking XP and then W7.

Ha ha

 

[Guest]

What about Android OS???

others section included android and further linux variantes

 

[MrBungle]

Vista peaked out at 19ish %... that is the real bar. Surpassing 6 year old retried operating system that many people disliked to begin with is no major feat especially when you consider that people began migrating from Vista 4 years ago. Windows 8 is still far and away the most hated operating system in Microsoft history.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

Was anybody actually expecting Windows 8 to overtake 7 when 7 has been on the market for 4 years and Windows 8 only 8 months?

What? Really?

7 had a hellava bigger install base than 8 did for the same 8 month period.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

Out of curiosity, how far did Vista climb before starting to fall again? I wonder if Windows 8 will ever climb as high.

Some people just used Vista since it was the newest OS on the market and some games began to support DX10 before Win 7. People were forced to use it xD.

I used Vista from it's inception and to be perfectly honest, I never had problems with it. I also use 8 which I don't mind but 7 is by far my favourite.

 

[sapo joe]

This means that crap has finally beaten ****!!! COOL!

 

[Mikymjr]

Windows 8 mostly gains it's share because most laptops or manufacturer configured pc's, are shipped with them. It's a move that actually explains, why computer sales have dropped or aren't increasing. Also worth noting, most new laptops for instance running on win8, can't be or are difficult to revert back to win7(no drivers on the manufacturer's website for example) which is a shame though