Windows XP, 7 Still Dominate Desktop OS Market

I agree with this because I still use Windows 7 and I have learnt that Windows 8 and 8.1 computers especially laptops have durability and reliability issues...

Windows XP, 7 still dominate desktop OS market -study

They're supposed to be dead or dying, but two aged versions of Microsoft's Windows operating system are still very much alive and kicking.

Figures from analytics firm NetMarketShare.com showed Windows 7 and - surprise! - XP combining to take nearly three-fourths of the desktop OS market for January 2015.

According to the figures, Windows 7 continues to lord it over the market with a share of 55.92 percent, followed by XP with 18.93 percent.

Windows 7, which debuted in 2009, is being replaced with Windows 8 and 8.1. On the other hand, Microsoft officially ended support for XP, which debuted in 2001.

The third placer, Windows 8.1, had a much smaller market share in January with 10.04 percent, while Windows 8 was fourth with 3.79 percent.

Apple's Mac OS X 10.10 (Yosemite) was fifth with 3.45 percent.

Other operating systems that registered in NetMarketShare's analytics with shares of at least 0.1 percent included:

Windows Vista, 2.44 percent
OS X 10.9 (Mavericks), 1.82 percent
Linux, 1.34 percent
OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard), 0.65 percent
OS X 10.7 (Lion), 0.53 percent
OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion), 0.48 percent
Windows NT, 0.21 percent
OS X 10.5 (Leopard), 0.12 percent

Meanwhile, Windows 10, Microsoft's upcoming operating system, is getting a 0.05 percent share of the market.

On the other hand, way outdated versions of Windows are still showing up - Windows 98 and even 3.1 (0.03 percent each).

"Perhaps this is why Windows 10 will be a free upgrade to both Windows 7 and Windows 8 owners: Windows 7 users simply refuse to give up using Microsoft’s older OS," PC World commented.

PC World also noted Windows 8.1's share is up from 9.49 percent in December but below the 12.1 percent it enjoyed in November.

It added Windows 8 continues to decline, "most likely indicating that users are simply upgrading to the latest version of the OS."

"So far, Microsoft’s customers have stubbornly clasped their Windows XP and Windows 7 systems to their chests, refusing to let go," the site noted. — Joel Locsin

Source: GMA