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Topic: Windows 8

Windows 8 market share jumped in December

Summary: December was a good month for Windows 8, with Microsoft's new platform gaining ground at the expense of Apple's OS X platform.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

By for Hardware 2.0 |

December was a good month for Microsoft's new operating system, with Windows 8's market share leapfrogging Linux to claim the number seven spot.

Data released by Web metric firm Net Applications shows that over the course of December the Windows 8 market share grew to 1.72 percent, up from 1.09 percent in November.

The leap in market share puts Windows 8 ahead of Linux, but behind Mac OS X 10.8, OS X 10.7, and OS X 10.6, and far behind Windows 7, Windows XP, and even Windows Vista.

December wasn't just good for Windows 8, with Windows 7 also seeing a small bump in market share, up from 44.71 percent to 45.11 percent. This was to be expected as December is usually a good month for PC sales thanks to the holiday season.

See also: Two must-have downloads that make Windows 8 more bearable

Microsoft's Windows RT platform, which can be found on tablets such as the Surface, also makes an appearance in the listing, with a market share of 0.01 percent.

According to a separate report released by AdDuplex, an ad network specializing in advertisements for Windows Phone and Windows 8/RT applications, Microsoft's Surface tablet is the single most popular device running the new platform.

December was also the first month since February 2012 where the overall Windows market share grew, to 91.74 percent, from 91.45 percent in November. Coincidentally, it is also the first time since February 2012 that Apple's OS X has seen a decline in market share, which now stands at 7.07 percent, down from 7.3 percent in November.

Back in November of 2012, a report by Web metrics firm StatCounter suggested that Windows 8 license sales were not yet translating into usage since its Web market share was trailing significantly behind what Windows 7 had achieved one month after launch.

Net Applications data is based on 160 million unique visitors each month to some 40,000 Web sites which the company monitors for its clients.

Image source: NetMarketShare.

Topics: Windows 8, Microsoft, Windows, Microsoft Surface

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65 comments
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  • Leapfrog's Linux, huh?

    What a horrible omen to begin "The Year of Linux"
    jvitous
    Reply 10 Votes

    • No

      That was last year, this is the year of Linux for sure and if we just keep saying it... Maybe one day it will come true.
      slickjim
      Reply 2 Votes

  • Where's SVJN when you need a good spin?

    Let's hear him tell us it is the sign of Windows doom.
    LBiege
    Reply 4 Votes

    • he would say

      Linux isnt androif and android isnt linux
      Master Wayne
      Reply 2 Votes

    • LBiege or we could ask Loverock Davidson the same question now

      couldn't we?
      Linux_Lives
      Reply Vote

  • Have to add Windows 8 Touch

    Hitslink breaks down Windows 8 market share into Windows 8, Windows 8 Touch, and Windows 8 RT touch.

    You have to add Windows 8 Touch's .05% market share to the total, making it 1.77%.
    ModernMech
    Reply Vote

  • im now waiting for trolls, shills and haters

    To add their spin to this post. Keep the hate coming...
    Master Wayne
    Reply 1 Vote

    • Apparently

      Big, successful companies like MS need to be protected from the negative comments of "haters". So are you voluntarily filling this need, or is MS paying you.
      John L. Ries
      Reply 1 Vote

  • Once people give it a chance they will be comfortable

    I personally don't spend much time in the Start Screen since I am on a traditional desktop form factor. There is still much to like in Desktop app which I use daily 96 percent of the time. File Explorer is much improved, I use Hyper-V for managing my virtual machines. I appreciate the fast boot experience and Hybrid boot. Windows 8 is great to use and I think a lot of the complaints come from the same loud barrels that gave Vista a bad rap back in 2007.
    adacosta38
    Reply 2 Votes

    • there are so many articles about windows 8 not being intuitive

      and in a few minor ways they are right. but not intuitive doesn't mean hard to use, it just means there are some hidden things you need to find.

      ideally those things would be obvious and you wouldn't need to hunt for them at all (example- it took my niece a while to figure out that to search for an app in the app store she needed to open the charms menu and click search in there instead of there being a separate search button in the app store app- which really isn't very intuitive at all), but W8 is moving in a good direction and I'm sure by windows 9 these things will be pretty well ironed out.
      theoilman
      Reply 1 Vote

    • RE: Comfotable not

      They will either think this is by far the greatest thing ever or by far the worst thing ever. Very little in between.
      edkollin
      Reply Vote

  • Not just Windows 8 but Windows Phone 8

    http://wmpoweruser.com/windows-phone-fastest-growing-operating-system-of-2012-with-290-growth/

    Windows Phone YoY growth is 289%. apple's ios only grew 16%. That's horrible. Windows Phone just crushed apple's YoY growth figures.
    toddbottom3
    Reply 1 Vote

    • Just Sad

      Windows Phone 1.05%
      iOS 60.13%

      https://www.netmarketshare.com/operating-system-market-share.aspx?qprid=8&qpcustomd=1
      daikon
      Reply Vote

      • OWNED NONZEALOT

        Come back when Windows Phone cracks 10%.

        It won't.
        toddbottom7
        Reply 1 Vote

        • it will

          And i want to see u here then kneeling before zod, u troll
          Master Wayne
          Reply 2 Votes

      • Oh, marketshare counts and growth doesn't?

        Just Sad

        iOS growth: 16%
        Windows Phone growth: 289%

        Nothing you wrote does anything to diminish the fact that all the real growth is with Windows Phone. 289% is way way way way way way bigger than 16%.
        toddbottom3
        Reply 1 Vote

        • growth

          You mean like in "iOS sold about 10 000 000 and then it only sold 11 600 000. that's only 16% growth. while Windows sold 1 unit and then it sold 289% more making it a total of 290 units"? is that what you're saying? So, I guess, yes, "nothing you wrote does anything to diminish the fact that all the real growth is Windows Phone". I guess so.
          x233
          Reply Vote

        • It’s a sad day all around

          Windows 8 adoption rate reportedly worse than Vista

          Computerworld reports that Windows Vista accounted for a larger share of Windows PCs during its brief and much-maligned reign.

          http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/gadgetbox/windows-8-adoption-rate-reportedly-worse-vista-1C7800805
          daikon
          Reply Vote

        • 1 to 3 sold

          So they sold one WP last year and three this year -- so what?
          mytake4this
          Reply Vote

    • a great example Tod

      of how percentages can be extremely misleading in comparisons
      theoilman
      Reply 1 Vote
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