Stats show that XP continues to be the second top desktop OS

Dec 27, 2014 09:42 GMT  ·  By

Windows XP no longer receives support since April 2014, but this doesn't necessarily mean that all users are ready to give up on it and switch to a newer Windows version such as Windows 7 or 8.

Instead, many are actually sticking to XP for longer than expected, so the now-unsupported operating system continues to be the second top desktop platform in the entire world.

Preliminary stats provided by StatCounter for the month of December 2014 reveal that Windows XP is currently ranked second in terms of market share, after Windows 7, which obviously remains the preferred choice for the majority of users worldwide. More than 54 percent of the world's computers are powered by Windows 7, stats show.

Windows XP vs. other Windows versions

Despite the fact that Windows XP is more or less insecure, quite a lot of users keep running it on their computers, which kind of increases the risk of getting hacked in case one critical vulnerability is found in the operating system.

At this point, 13.18 percent of the desktop computers are running Windows XP, StatCounter reveals, which is actually enough to make the now-unsupported platform the second desktop platform in the world.

Windows 8.1, which is Microsoft's latest bet on the OS market, is third and very close to Windows XP with 12.96 percent, and this is most likely a sign that it could soon overtake the unsupported platform and become the second top OS in the world.

The fourth place goes to OS X with 8.81 percent, while Windows 8 is next with 4.68 percent.

Windows still dominating the desktop

Since Windows 8 came out, we've heard quite a lot of statements coming from experts and analysts across the world claiming that Microsoft could soon lose its dominance on the desktop. Although they didn't nominate a different platform that could take over, neither Linux nor Mac OS X has recorded a significant market share boost on the desktop in the last 24 months.

At this point, Windows is powering approximately 90 percent of the world's desktops, and figures are very unlikely to change in the coming months. Microsoft is already working on Windows 10, the next OS version aimed at the desktop, so its dominance on the desktop market is very likely to continue with help coming from this new product.

As far as the mobile and tablet worlds are concerned, Microsoft is only performing poorly, but the company is keen on continuing investments in both markets, so new releases are also expected to take place in 2015.

Windows XP market share (5 Images)

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