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Topic: Windows

Windows XP finally dips below 50 per cent mark

Summary: Windows XP -- the world's most popular operating system -- has finally dipped below the 50 percent mark, as Windows 7 takes its place.

Zack Whittaker

By for Between the Lines |

Enterprises are finally waking up to the inevitability that they will have to upgrade either their systems, or their ageing operating system, as the Windows XP market share mark drops below 50 percent.

At over ten years old, Windows XP has been slowly losing momentum during each month since Windows 7's release, according to statistics collected by Net Applications.

While Microsoft still has around 87 percent share in the operating system market, Apple's share is slowly but steadily rising.

With Vista's share holding at only 9 per cent, Apple's operating system share has been steadily increasing thanks to the widely used iOS on iPhones and iPads.

With only three years before Windows XP is no longer supported, the enterprise sector in particular -- making up businesses, universities and government -- have had no option but to upgrade to a more recent  version of Windows.

Many have been putting off the upgrade due to unsatisfactory upgrade paths from Windows XP to Windows 7, requiring either an intermediary Windows Vista upgrade to continue through, or a replacement of hardware to have Windows 7 pre-installed.

While Microsoft is firm in its efforts to rid the world of Internet Explorer 6 -- the browser pre-installed with Windows XP -- the company has not acknowledged the market share dip of its long running operating system.

What is clear, however, is that Windows 7's rise in numbers is directly attributable to Windows XP's decline. Though more businesses and consumers are still using Windows XP over newer Windows 7, Microsoft still needs to make the upgrade process simpler, and less Vista-orientated to get more people on board.

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Topics: Windows, Microsoft, Operating Systems, Software

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32 comments
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  • RE: Windows XP finally dips below 50 per cent mark

    XP has been below 50% for some time now depending on which counter you have more faith in. Even Wikipedia has XP listed at 37%

    I've been saying it for a while now that XP would not be getting any more reprieves, yet no one believed me. Even after it was public knowledge that IE9 wasn't going to run on the OS. But the time has come to get off this cancer. It's been time. XP does nothing but spread disease across our networks. At least 74% of tested machines by Avast had a rootkit infection. 74%!? If that's not further proof that XP needs to die, then I don't know what is.
    The one and only, Cylon Centurion
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Windows XP finally dips below 50 per cent mark

    "74% of tested machines by Avast had a rootkit infection", that doesn't add up. Where did they test, in China?
    owlnet
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Windows XP finally dips below 50 per cent mark

      @owlnet

      I'm guessing it's based on tested machines using the Avast suite. 74% of them were Windows XP machines.

      http://www.neowin.net/news/avast-windows-xp-makes-up-74-of-rootkit-infections
      The one and only, Cylon Centurion
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Windows XP finally dips below 50 per cent mark

        @Cylon Centurion

        That report doesn't say that 74% of XP machines are infected, it says of the machines that are infected, 74% are running XP. A very big difference in interpretation, although your point about XP being too insecure to keep using is valid.
        Digger_z
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Windows XP finally dips below 50 per cent mark

        [i]That report doesn't say that 74% of XP machines are infected, it says of the machines that are infected, 74% are running XP. A very big difference in interpretation, although your point about XP being too insecure to keep using is valid.[/i]

        Well he has a quota of Windoze 7 sales ta meet, ya know... ;)
        blind obedience
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Windows XP finally dips below 50 per cent mark

        @blind obedience

        You sure are blind alright.
        The one and only, Cylon Centurion
        Reply Vote

      • Blind about what?

        @Cylon Centurion your motives here are crystal. No doubt about it.
        blind obedience
        Reply Vote

  • Most of us aren't in the business of buying operating systems

    What I think that many industry watchers (and Microsoft) have been missing is that most of us, consumers or businesses, are not in the business of buying operating systems. No, we're in another business and an an operating system is merely a tool. If a tool works well enough to get by, people will continue to use it.

    Microsoft has been telling us to upgrade but placing obstacles in the path of those still using Windows XP. In many ways, it is as hard or as easy for these people to move to Mac OS or Linux based systems as it is to move from Windows XP to Windows 7.

    I believe that when Microsoft points at these people/companies for not upgrading they should notice that many of their own fingers are pointing back at them.

    Dan K
    dkusnetzky
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Windows XP finally dips below 50 per cent mark

      @dkusnetzky Consumers are like this as well. We don't buy new operating systems...we buy computers. If a 10 year old computer is still doing what the consumer needs it to do, they don't see any reason to upgrade. They'll upgrade when their computer finally explodes.
      Aerowind
      Reply Vote

    • RE: Windows XP finally dips below 50 per cent mark

      @dkusnetzky [i]In many ways, it is as hard or as easy for these people to move to Mac OS or Linux based systems as it is to move from Windows XP to Windows 7.[/i]

      Good point. Never really thought of it that way. For those looking to leave MS, this would be the ideal time.
      Badgered
      Reply Vote

    • RE: Windows XP finally dips below 50 per cent mark

      @dkusnetzky

      And no one is saying that anyone has to upgrade/replace their computer. On the same note you cannot whine and complain when the older technology is not as secure or does not offer all the features of the new technology. I hear that a lot when Microsoft updates a browser or other applications for the newer operating systems or when a 3rd party hardware or software vendor releases a product that does not support the older OSes. Technology moves forward so consumers and businesses should make an effective plan that fits their needs and their budget to move with it at some pace otherwise you cannot expect the world to stop because of you. I mean you do not go back to Ford and say that your 1972 Ford Galaxie should be updated with Air Bags, ABS Brakes, Satellite Radio, and a GPS unit do you? If it still works go ahead and use it but do not complain when newer versions offer more or when support for that old version stops.
      bobiroc
      Reply Vote

  • Apple propaganda?

    I read the headline and clicked the link just to see if Zack could resist spinning this into Apple propaganda, and I was not disapointed:<br><br>"While Microsoft still has around 87 percent share in the operating system market, Apples share is slowly but steadily rising."<br><br>Let's not insinuate that the small decline in ten-year-old WinXP usage has much to do with Apple.<br><br>Windows 7 is the fastest-selling operating system of any kind of all time. But of course it's cool and trendy to put Apple in that sentence instead, and of course some people are rewarded well for promoting Apple.<br><br>In the last quarter, Apple didn't even sell 4 million Macs! Last quarter I checked on Windows PC sales the figure was 90 million sold in that quarter alone.

    "Windows 7?s rise in numbers is directly attributable to Windows XP?s decline."

    It's a shame I had to wait until the last paragraph, after wading through what seemed like standard Apple propaganda, for the actual point of the story and the reason for the headline.
    Tim Acheson
    Reply Vote

    • Don't forget, many of those Windows 7 sales

      @Tim Acheson
      are going onto Apple hardware, so both can grow, even while XP dies.

      How many people are loading WIndows XP onto their Macs?
      William Farrell
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Windows XP finally dips below 50 per cent mark

        @William Farrell

        No one. Windows XP isn't supported.
        The one and only, Cylon Centurion
        Reply Vote

      • Only new Lion based Macs don't support XP

        @Cylon Centurion Mac's sold with Snow Leopard just before Lion support Windows XP. The new version of Boot Camp (version 4) which ships with Lion does not support XP or Vista. If you install Boot Camp 4 on a Snow Leopard Mac with Windows XP or Vista it continue to function just fine, even if you upgrade it to Lion.
        adacosta38
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Windows XP finally dips below 50 per cent mark

        @adacosta38

        Thanks for the clarification .
        The one and only, Cylon Centurion
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Windows XP finally dips below 50 per cent mark

        @adacosta38 See? Even Apple wants you to stop using Windows XP and upgrade to Vista. Lolol. I wonder what happens if you upgrade to Lion - do your XP bootcamp installs stop working? Wouldn't surprise me.
        Imrhien
        Reply Vote

    • RE: Windows XP finally dips below 50 per cent mark

      @Tim Acheson Actually Android is the fastest growing Operating System.
      mrlinux
      Reply Vote

    • RE: Windows XP finally dips below 50 per cent mark

      [i]Windows 7 is the fastest-selling operating system of any kind of all time.[/i]

      The fastest-selling operating system of any kind of all time??

      lol...

      Good sales pitch. If it was 'so good', everybody would have been running to it by now.
      blind obedience
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Windows XP finally dips below 50 per cent mark

        @blind obedience

        "If it was 'so good', everybody would have been running to it by now. "

        By that logic, we can obviously conclude that OS X and Linux are horrendously, abysmally bad. right?
        rtk
        Reply Vote
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