14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 8, Microsoft’s latest player in the operating system game, is still struggling to match the success of its predecessor, according to new data revealed by Net Applications.
Windows 7 remains the number one choice for the week ending November 18, while Windows XP comes second with a pretty impressive market share.
Windows 7 dominates the operating system industry with a market share of 45.54 percent, while Windows XP is still holding 39.01 percent of the entire sector.
XP remains Microsoft’s biggest headache now that Windows 8 is generally available, as the Redmond-based technology titan is struggling to convince users to migrate from the 11-year old operating system to either Windows 7 or Windows 8.
The third place goes to Windows Vista, Microsoft’s biggest flop when it comes to operating systems, with Net Application suggesting that it has a 5.45 percent market share.
Windows 8, on the other hand, is currently holding a 1.19 percent share, which is more than encouraging for the Redmond-based technology company as it's striving to convince users to make the move to the new OS.
This isn’t entirely good news, as Linux, the open-source Microsoft Windows alternative, is still a more popular choice than Windows 8, with a market share of 1.53 percent.
Microsoft is yet to reveal official sales figures for the new Windows 8 operating system, but sources familiar with the matter have hinted that CEO Steve Ballmer and the other company executives consider initial sales pretty disappointing.
Windows 8 is expected to take off in 2013, when the PC market is also predicted to post a significant growth. Steve Ballmer reportedly blames the hardware industry for Windows 8’s slow debut, as he claims that the lack of devices running Microsoft’s latest OS hurt sales of the software.