Microsoft has had a tough time getting consumers to switch to Windows 8, with most people preferring to stick to Windows 7 due to its simple nature and negative buzz around the newer OS. Windows 7 market share grew more than Windows 8 and 8.1's share once again (despite new devices and computers coming with it by default for more than two years), and even Windows XP still holds 27 per cent of the market.
The latest market share statistics show that Windows 7 jumped 1.46 percent to a total share of 48.77 percent, with Windows 8 and 8.1 combining for just a .62 percent increase to 11.3 percent. Mircosoft has a long way to go if they want most people to be using Windows 8, a platform they're much more interested in supporting.
Windows 8 had grown more than 7 for the past three months, as it should, but the older operating system came back strong this month. BlackBerry has struggled with similar issues trying to get consumers to make the switch to BB10, though the company's sales are also down in general.
Windows 8 is regarded negatively by many as an operating system that is better suited for tablets and touch screen devices than a traditional PC. Microsoft made the OS more approachable to casual users with simple buttons in the Metro layout, while leaving an option to switch to the traditional desktop mode, but power users feel their needs were marginalized with this setup.
A Reddit user who said he or she was a UX designer at Microsoft and worked on Windows 8 explained his or her thoughts about it and the goals behind the new OS in a thread recently, which discusses some of the issues I just mentioned.
Whatever your stance, Microsoft has a lot of work ahead convincing anyone who isn't buying a new device to upgrade--Windows XP came out 12 years ago and still holds significantly more of the market than Windows 8, and Microsoft has recently ceased supporting the four-generation-old OS.
Source: The Next Web
