The country decided to ban Windows 8 use on government computers

May 20, 2014 20:05 GMT  ·  By
Windows 7 continues to be the most used OS in China, followed by Windows XP
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   Windows 7 continues to be the most used OS in China, followed by Windows XP

China decided to ban Windows 8 use on government computers in a move that clearly makes Microsoft's efforts to boost sales in the country nearly impossible, especially because the company has invested a fortune to promote its modern operating system.

While the reasons behind this decision are still unknown, it appears that China doesn't actually need Windows 8 at all and statistics provided by market researchers indicated that most local users are anyway running older versions of the operating system.

Figures provided by StatCounter for the first days of May 2014 indicate that at this point, Windows 7 continues to lead the OS chart in China with a market share of 49.42 percent. Windows XP is the runner-up with 41.35 percent, even though Microsoft no longer releases updates and security patches for this particular OS version.

Windows 8, the platform that got banned now, is trailing behind with a share that's clearly disappointing for fans of Microsoft's modern operating system, currently being installed on 3.52 percent of the desktop PCs in the country. Windows 8.1 comes next with 2.03 percent.

Of course, Windows 7's and Windows XP's market shares are more or less possible because of pirated licenses and Microsoft is well aware of that. As a result, some people familiar with the matter said that the improved piracy protection in Windows 8 could also be a reason for today's ban, although that's very unlikely given the fact that the Chinese government has promised to use genuine copies of the operating system only.

At the same time, a browser chart also confirms the Chinese' affinity for old software, with Google Chrome 21 currently installed on no less than 23.3 percent of the computers in the country. Keep in mind that at the time of writing this article, the current stable version of Google Chrome is 34.

Internet Explorer 8 is also among the most popular browsers in the country with 18.11 percent, while Sogou Explorer, a locally-developed app is third with 7.29 percent. Other old browsers are also among the most-used software solutions in China, including Internet Explorer 6, the app Microsoft has tried to kill for many years.

Microsoft hasn't yet issued a comment on China's decision to make Windows 8 a forbidden product on government computers, but we've already reached out to the company for some official comments on this, so we will update the article accordingly as soon as we get an answer.

Old browsers are also among the most-used apps in China
Old browsers are also among the most-used apps in China

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Windows 7 continues to be the most used OS in China, followed by Windows XP
Old browsers are also among the most-used apps in China
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