14 DAY TRIAL // Windows XP no longer receives updates and patches since April 2014, so it's pretty much obvious that everyone still running this particular OS needs to move to a newer version as soon as possible in order to avoid security issues due to unfixed vulnerabilities.
It appears that more of those still running Windows XP got this message, as a new bunch of statistics provided by market researcher Net Applications indicate that the desktop share of the ancient OS is dropping at a very fast pace.
In November 2014, Windows XP fell to 13.57 percent, down from 17.18 percent the month before and from 26.29 in April, when Microsoft officially ended support.
This decline is not at all surprising, especially because Microsoft is working at full speed on Windows 10, the next OS version that's expected to fix many of the annoyances in the modern operating system and to address feedback received from users in a much more effective way.
Windows 8.1 getting more users
While Windows XP continues its decline, Windows 8.1 is actually winning more users, most likely because more companies and organizations have finally completed the upgrade of their workstations.
Windows 8.1 reached a market share of 12.10 percent in November, up from 10.92 percent in October. What's more interesting is that Windows 8.1 managed to almost double its market share in only a few months, as only 6.56 percent of the world's desktop computers were running it in July 2014.
At the same time, Windows 8 continues to be powering 6.55 percent of the world's PCs, so Microsoft's modern operating system now has a market share of 18.65 percent, which makes it the second most-used platform on the desktop.
Windows 10 for the win
Microsoft is already working on Windows 10 right now and users can see what's new in this revamped operating system by installing the Technical Preview builds available as part of the Windows Insider Program.
Windows 10 brings back the popular Start menu, now featuring live tiles borrowed from the Windows 8 Start screen, as well as a bunch of new features, such as multiple desktops and a notification center.
In late January, Microsoft is expected to reveal the Windows 10 Consumer Preview, a build also designed for testing purposes but specifically aimed at consumers, with several new features likely to be included, among which a preview build of Internet Explorer 12.
Sources said that Windows 10 could be offered free of charge to Windows 8.1 users, so there's no doubt that this little detail was one of the main catalysts of the growth experienced by the modern OS lately.
