14 DAY TRIAL // These days, the most Microsoft news are about either Windows 8/8.1 or Windows XP, as the first still struggles to become successful, while the latter will soon get the axe.
Of course, with these two in mind, most people forget about Windows 7, which continues to be the number one operating system in the world and, indirectly, could even become a real Windows 8 killer.
How come, you might ask. Pretty simple, actually.
Windows 7 continues to improve its market share on a monthly basis, even though Microsoft has launched not only the new Windows 8, but also its first major update dubbed Windows 8.1.
Statistics provided by market researcher Net Applications do nothing more than to confirm that nobody can stop Windows 7 right now, especially because most Windows XP users prefer to switch to this OS version rather than to Windows 8 or 8.1.
Windows 7 posted a market share of 47.52 percent in December 2013, up from 46.64 percent the month before and from 44.55 percent in February 2013.
While this growth is quite impressive given the fact that Windows 8 was on the market for the whole year, it’s also another sign that Windows 8 isn’t quite the top choice for users looking to switch to a newer OS version.
And this isn’t Microsoft’s only problem. When Windows 7 support will officially come to an end, the company is very likely to encounter the same problems as the ones it’s trying to cope with right now with Windows XP because plenty of users prefer to stick to its aging OS rather than to move to a newer version.
Windows 7 with Service Pack 1 is scheduled to reach the end of mainstream support on January 13, 2015, while extended support will take place on January 14, 2020.