14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 8 has often been criticized for the changes it brings to the OS market, especially because it pushes all users towards a touch-based experience, so adoption remains low almost 9 months after launch.
Statistics provided by Net Applications show that Windows 8 is currently installed on 5.40 percent of computers worldwide, while Windows XP, the ancient operating system that’ll be soon retired, is still powering 37.19 percent of the machines across the globe.
According to Microsoft watcher Paul Thurrott of WinSuperSite.com, there are approximately 88.5 million Windows 8 users out there, based on Microsoft’s estimates that 1.5 billion of the PCs are now running its own operating system.
While these numbers might not be too accurate, it’s actually an indication that Windows 8 adoption is still below expectations, even though its first major update is just around the corner.
Microsoft said in January that it had sold 60 million Windows 8 licenses, while another 13.5 million have been shipped every month since then.
If these figures are true, the company delivered a total of 141 million Windows 8 licenses to buyers across the world.
The 50-million difference between these two estimates is most likely represented by Windows 8 adopters who decided to go back to Windows 7, Thurrott writes, which means that 1 in 3 users of Microsoft’s new OS downgraded to the previous Windows release.
Windows 7 was installed on 44.69 percent of computers worldwide, according to Net Applications, while in July 2013 its share dropped to 44.49 percent.
