14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft would better bring Windows 9 to the market as soon as possible because almost all its operating systems currently out there are losing users at a really fast pace.
Statistics provided by market researcher Net Applications reveal that Windows XP, Windows 8.1, and Windows 8 all lost users in July 2014, with Windows 7 becoming the only big winner of this change.
Windows 8.1, which is actually Microsoft’s newest best in the modern OS world, dropped from 6.61 percent in June 2014 to 6.56 percent last month, even though everyone would have expected to see a market share increase since more people upgrade from Windows 8 to this particular OS version.
Windows 8, on the other hand, recorded a slighter decrease from 5.93 percent in June 2014 to 5.92 percent in July. This is more or less a drop that could easily be predicted because more users are either downgrading to Windows 7 or upgrading to Windows 8.1 in search for more features and enhanced stability.
Last but not least, Windows XP, which no longer receives support since April 8, continued its collapse, dropping from 25.31 percent two months ago to 24.82 percent in July.
And still, these stats are showing that although it no longer receives support, XP is losing users at a really slow pace, despite Microsoft’s efforts to emphasize the risks of staying on an operating system which no longer gets security updates and patches.
“While it's true that you can keep using your PC with Windows XP after support ends, we don’t recommend it. For starters, it’ll become five times more vulnerable to security risks and viruses, which means you could get hacked and have your personal information stolen,” Microsoft warned with pretty much every single occasion.
“Also, companies that make devices like digital cameras, Internet-ready TVs, and printers won’t provide drivers that work with Windows XP, so if you get new devices, they won’t work with your current PC. And over time, the security and performance of your PC will just continue to degrade so things will only get worse.”
If you’re wondering, Windows 7 is doing a lot better, as it’s currently installed on no less than 51.22 percent of the desktop PCs worldwide. Ever since Microsoft announced the Windows XP end of support, Windows 7 continuously increased its market share, growing from 49.27 percent in April, to 50.06 percent in May, and 50.55 percent in June.