14 DAY TRIAL // Windows XP support officially came to an end in April 2014, and since then, Microsoft has constantly reminded users of the benefits of running an up-to-date operating system that still receives security updates and patches.
This made very little difference, as new statistics show that Windows XP remains one very popular choice for PC users across the world, and the worst thing, it actually gains market share. So instead of getting closer to its complete demise, Windows XP fights for survival and remains the platform of choice for an important number of users.
In terms of numbers, Windows XP is currently at 4.59% market share, which makes it the fourth most popular Windows version, with bigger share than the top macOS version right now.
Windows XP gradually declined in the last couple of years, and this perfectly makes sense given the lack of updates. The drop, however, ended in October 2017 when Windows XP jumped from 6.19% to 7.64%, only to start losing ground once again the month after.
Slow drop, sudden recovery
The 2001 operating system lost share ever since, reaching the lowest score in February when it dropped to 3.81%. Surprisingly, however, another recovery was posted in March when Windows XP gained another 0.78%, at a time when many people considered it to be a thing of the past.
Windows XP is one of the most popular Windows version ever released by Microsoft, and this slow pace of losing market share is living proof that users aren’t ready to give up on it, even nearly four years after the parent company stopped rolling out updates.
The worst thing is that Windows XP is now vulnerable to attacks based on exploits found in other Windows versions and given that this OS version runs on a worrying number of systems being used by authorities or government across the world, the simple fact that it’s still so widely popular affects each and every one of us.
