Windows 8 Use Overtakes XP Worldwide
Windows 8 finally overtook Windows XP in global Internet usage in August, more than four months after Microsoft stopped supporting the aging operating system, according to Web site analytics company StatCounter.
In figures released Tuesday, StatCounter Global Stats put the combined worldwide share for Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 at 14 percent, compared with 12.9 percent for Windows XP (see Figure 1). Microsoft put a stop to paid support for Windows XP on April 8.
The most popular operating system by far remains Windows 7, with 50.3 percent share.
[Click on image for larger view.] Figure 1.
Windows XP's share of Internet browsing is getting low in western countries. According to StatCounter, XP's share in all of Europe is 10.6 percent, in the United States is 8.9 percent, and in the United Kingdom is 5.2 percent.
StatCounter also noted that Windows 8.1 has finally passed Windows 8 in global share, as well. Windows 8.1 now stands at 7.5 percent, while Windows 8 is at 6.6 percent (see Figure 2).
"Following a mixed reaction to Windows 8, perhaps because of its radical new look, Windows 8.1 appears to be winning over users," Aodhan Cullen, CEO of StatCounter, said in a statement.
[Click on image for larger view.]
Figure 2.
Posted by Scott Bekker on September 02, 2014