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Windows 7 worldwide market share jumps past Mac OS X, growing faster than Vista

By | January 22, 2010, 3:24am PST

Summary: Windows 7 has turned out to be the darling of the operating system market share these days, nabbing a larger slice of the pie in a shorter amount of time than Vista - and overtaking all versions of Mac OS X.

Windows 7 has turned out to be the darling of the operating system market share these days, nabbing a larger slice of the pie in a shorter amount of time than Vista - and overtaking all versions of Mac OS X.

According to a report published on Ars Technica, a month after being released Windows 7 was already at the 4.00 percent mark, compared to the Microsoft OS that frustrated everyone (Vista), which was at 0.93 percent after a month. After two months, Windows 7 was 5.71 percent, while Vista was at only 2.04 percent in its early days.

A lot of Windows 7’s success is being attributed to the fact that it got the 2009 holiday season to boost sales numbers.

Interestingly, while it seems like Windows 7 was skyrocketing, almost everyone (Windows 7, Vista and Mac OS X) were all dropping percentage points in the last few months. Only Linux showed positive percentage growth in December 2009.

Nevertheless, since Windows 7 jumped from 4.00 percent to 5.71 percent, they surpassed all versions of Mac OS X (10.4, 10.5 and 10.6) combined (4.87 percentage points total).

Anyone surprised?

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Topics

Apple Macintosh, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac OS, Apple Mac OS X, Operating Systems, Software, Rachel King

Rachel King is a staff writer for ZDNet based in San Francisco.

Disclosure

Rachel King

Rachel King has no business relationships, affiliations, investments, or other potential conflicts of interest relating to the content posted in this blog.

Biography

Rachel King

Rachel King is a staff writer for CBS Interactive in San Francisco. Before serving as a contributing editor at ZDNet in New York City for two years, she previously worked for The Business Insider, FastCompany.com, CNN's San Francisco bureau and the U.S. Department of State. Rachel has also written for MainStreet.com, Irish America Magazine and the New York Daily News, among others. Rachel has a B.A. in Mass Communications and History from the University of California, Berkeley and a M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University, where she served as art director for the student magazine, Plated.

Talkback Most Recent of 148 Talkback(s)

  • Nope
    It is a great operating system and people seem to enjoy using it. I know I do.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    bobiroc
    22nd Jan 2010
  • I agree. No surprise here (nt)
    nt
    ZDNet Gravatar
    wcb42ad
    22nd Jan 2010
  • Mac isn't anti-competitively pre-installed on most all PC's.
    So that's that explained.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    fr0thy2
    24th Jan 2010
  • anti-competitively
    No it's installed on all Mac's. You can install Win 7 on a Mac. You can't install Mac (legally) on a PC. Who's the monopolist here? MAC!
    ZDNet Gravatar
    tedwyer
    25th Jan 2010
  • It is a worthless battle
    The Macheads will say that is part of Apple's business model and neglect the fact back when this was made up Apple had incompatible processors to run x86 OSes like Windows and Linux natively on there systems. I think that should all be re-evaluated since now they are running the same basic hardware as any other PC and basically lumped themselves as just another OEM brand of computer.

    I believe if the OS can run natively without emulation then it should be treated the same. What is good for the goose is good for gander.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    bobiroc
    25th Jan 2010
  • Agreed
    Agreed. And what Windows user would actually want to run OSX on a Windows box anyway? No disrespect intended to people who like Mac's but really the OS isn't anything special. What I don't like is the way Macs usually only have 1 way to do things. With Windows for example you can copy a file any number of ways, but with Macs I believe there really is only one way. Not much room for personal preference. And when it comes to software Win beats them all. It's pretty rare to hear someone say I can't do this because I don't have a Mac, but all our Mac users immediately install Bootcamp when they get their boxes because they all need Windows.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    SMparky
    25th Jan 2010
  • Well Said
    I agree as I have likewise listned to friends say that they can't live without bootcamp; but I have yet to hear a pc user say anything about their rushing out to download and install "macOpen" like what I use to have to do because my kids only had apples at their school; but my having pc's at home for them
    ZDNet Gravatar
    dinosoft@...
    2nd Feb 2010
  • That is what makes Mac great and work well
    Another idiot. The reason Macs work so well, besides the great engineering, is that Apple controls the OS and the Hardware so they work in harmony unlike MS junk which is total crap you effing moron.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Goldcds
    19th Feb 2010
  • Window vs Mac Still Have Exactly the Same Market Share as Before!;)
    What's changed and where did Microsoft make any
    gains? Nothing's changed between Vista and NEW and
    IMPROVED 7ista! lol They're all Windows OS's

    So people have either bought new PC's with 7ista
    installed or been in a hurry to get rid of the
    Vista! haha.. that they've been stuck with from
    the same company now that Vista got it's first
    real Service Pack upgrade. If Vista had been given
    the 7ista Service Pack in the first place, they
    wouldn't be selling anything. So what in the World
    can you all find to be so excited about that?

    Me? ...well yeah I have 7ista installed on a new
    OEM computer. But I hated seeing my XP Licensed OS
    on my old computer, going to waste. So I installed
    my old hard drive on my new PC and ran a repair.
    Since then, I never boot into 7ista. grin

    I could not be happier now that I'm dual booting
    (I mean triple w/ 7ista) my awesome Windows XP
    original install and my Sabayon Linux from my old
    computer, on this new hardware. They're so fast
    now running on this new hardware, I'm just
    amazed!!! grin
    ZDNet Gravatar
    i2fun@...
    19th Feb 2010
  • and who's choice is that?
    Apple is real open about their OS.
    Trying thinking before you type next time.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    marks055@...
    25th Jan 2010
  • Mac isn't anti-competitively pre-installed on most all PC's Yes it IS
    but with one caveat, it IS installed on ALL Macs, so isn't that the same as win7 being installed on all PC's I will answer for you *Yes It IS*
    ZDNet Gravatar
    dinosoft@...
    2nd Feb 2010
  • great compared to what, Vista?
    Obviously this idiot has never used a Mac or Linux. The only thing Windows 7 is better than is WinDOZE Vista. I would take XP over 7 any day and Linux or Mac twice on Sunday. 7 is another piece of crap from Microshaft but people think it is great because they are comparing it to Vista which was the worst thing that has come out of M$. Those billionaires love these idiots because they will buy whatever MS puts out. Not me, I have had it with their overpriced crap that is bloated, slow, and total junk.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Goldcds
    19th Feb 2010
  • Actually
    I have used and currently use MacOS and Linux. I have a MacBook supplied to me by work because I support about 300 iMacs along with the 2500 or so Windows workstations. Also thrown into that mix is some Linux based servers and appliances so you should not be making assumptions. Since I actually went to college for graphic design I used Macs and MacOS quite extensively for years. You are entitled to your opinion so I will not take that away from you but I doubt you even used Vista or Windows 7 based on your comments and also based on your comments you are just another lowly ignorant troll so have a nice day.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    bobiroc
    19th Feb 2010
  • No surprise at all, Win-7 rocks.
    Face it, Win-7 is a great OS.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    No_Ax_to_Grind
    22nd Jan 2010
  • It took this long??
    Windows 7 has been out for several weeks, and it is only now overtaking
    Mac OS X? Something is seriously wrong with this picture.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    veggiedude
    22nd Jan 2010
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