Skip to main content

Out with the old, in with the new: Windows XP use falls sharply, while 8.1 soars impressively

The ruler of the desktop operating system kingdom continues to exert unflinching dominance, but things are suddenly and surprisingly shifting in second and third place. That’s according to Net Marketshare, whose latest OS stats paint a hugely favorable picture of Windows 8.1 usage lately.

The newest fully-fledged iteration of Windows grew by a staggering 4.25 percent in the last month. 8.1’s share for September was reported at 6.67, and now, all of a sudden, we’re in double-digit land at 10.92 percent.

Recommended Videos

That’s shocking, to say the least, given that Windows 8.1 is over a full year old. Previously, the touch-centric platform actually lost almost half of a percentage point between August and September. Going back further, Win 8.1 use increased between May and September, but only by a measly 0.32 percent.

Some would argue that the instant increase in popularity was inevitable. After all, it’s not that Windows users are discovering 8.1 now and instantaneously falling in love with it. Many older PCs are due for upgrades, and 8.1 is the newest choice available, at least until Windows 10 exits beta form.

Clearly, 8.1 is eroding XP’s lingering fan-base, as the out-of-support OS fell from 23.87 percent of usage in September, to 17.18 in October. That’s a mind-boggling loss of over six percent. Windows 7 and 8 both got boosts as well. Their increases were minor, but notable nonetheless.

Windows 8’s combined share with 8.1 is marginally behind Win XP’s figures (5.88 percent solo, and 16.8 when merged with 8.1). That latter number is up from 12.26 percent last month. So, we’re looking at growth in the area of 4.5 percentage points. That’s impressive.

As far as Win 7 goes, despite its age, the five year old OS continues to thrive. More than half of the pie is 7-controlled, and the gap between the gold and silver medalists has grown to more than 35 percent.

In other words, Windows 7 is three times as popular as XP.

The number of PCs running Win 7 out and about tops the combined total of computers on all other platforms. The 53.05 percent spike represents an increase of 0.34 from September.

In the lower ranks, we find Mac OS X 10.9 capturing a 3.66 percent share, down from 4.05 last month. Windows Vista is somehow holding its own, at 2.82 points, which is only marginally down from 3.07 in September.

All in all, it’s a little bizarre to see such radical changes after so many months of relative peace and quiet. But if the statistics are accurate, we’re glad, for reasons related to security. Windows XP is dying, and the sooner users realize it, the better.

Adrian Diaconescu
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Adrian is a mobile aficionado since the days of the Nokia 3310, and a PC enthusiast since Windows 98. Later, he discovered…
Looking for a $1,000 gaming laptop? Check out this Gigabyte G6 deal
The Gigabyte G6 gaming laptop on a white background.

Looking for the best gaming laptop deals that you can buy for $1,000? You may want to set your sights on the Gigabyte G6. Its configuration with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 graphics card, which is originally sold for $1,200, is currently available from Best Buy with a $200 discount. We're not sure how much time is remaining on this offer though, so if you're interested, you're going to have to be quick with your purchase and proceed with the transaction right now.

Why you should buy the Gigabyte G6 gaming laptop

Read more
The powerful HP Omen Max 16 gaming laptop with RTX 5070 Ti is $350 off today
The HP Omen Max gaming laptop with Valorant on the screen.

Gamers who want an upgrade should be on the lookout for discounts from gaming laptop deals, as these devices can get pretty expensive. You should check out the HP Omen Max 16, as its configuration with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti graphics card is on sale from HP itself for $2,150 instead of $2,500. That's $350 in savings that you can spend on video games and other accessories, but you're going to have to hurry with your purchase if you want to buy the gaming laptop at 16% off as the offer may be already gone by tomorrow.

Why you should buy the HP Omen Max 16 gaming laptop

Read more
Watch Tesla’s humanoid robot pull some snappy dance moves
Tesla's humanoid robot dancing.

Tesla has shared a new video showing its Optimus humanoid robot pulling some rather impressive dance moves.

While the nifty footwork might not be much use for the industrial settings that the robot is destined for, the 60-second clip effectively showcases its increasing agility and lifelike range of motion.

Read more