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Despite Microsoft's claims that it
boasts new features ideally suited for both business and home use, a
year after launch, Windows 7 is still lagging far behind XP in terms
of market share according to a new report from Net Applications.
IT Pro News reports how new research reveals that Windows 7 has a
total distribution, when home, office and enterprise packages are
combined, of just 17.1% of the total market. By comparison Windows
XP, which had 70% of the market at the time of the new OS's launch,
is currently installed on 60% of computers.
According to Net Application's research, which has tracked uptake of
Microsoft's different OS's on a monthly basis since 7's release, it
appears that XP remains a reliable favourite among many users.
Conversely, MSNBC.com's tech writer, Wolfgang Gruener, notes that
the market share data reveals that intermediary OS Windows Vista has
fallen from its October 2009 peak levels of 20.35% to just 14.66%.
Windows XP sales cease on 22nd October 2010
These figures may soon see a dramatic
shift however. From October 22nd, Microsoft will no longer sell XP -
and crucially, this means it will soon withdraw its support for the
operating system. As a consequence, for many users and particularly
for the many businesses using XP-based systems as servers or
workstations, vulnerabilities and data handling errors will remain
unpatched - likely forcing many to finally make the step up to a
newer version.
Meanwhile, Apple and Linux's shares of the market have remained
stable at 5.03% and 0.85% respectively. According to both Gruener
and the writers at IT Pro News, the overall trends shown by Net
Applications are largely the same as those shown by fellow analysis
firm StatCounter. The latter company places Windows XP's market
share at 53.99%, Vista at 16.59% and Windows 7 at 22.04%.
What does this mean to our customers
Windows XP may not be
sold directly but you can still exercise your downgrade rights from
Windows 7 Pro or Ultimate and install Windows XP Pro to a new PC.
This downgrade has a cost implication as it will take around one
hour of workshop time to complete, subject to manufactures XP
drivers being available.
Many customers may think this is a small price to pay for the
familiarity of Win XP but be warned we are already encountering new
applications and features that are not supported on this now old
(released October 2001) operating system.
On new hardware Windows 7 runs smoothly and offers a significant
number of reliability and security benefits over Windows XP. The
main problem our clients have been encountering is with software or
hardware that dates from 2003 or earlier. These were often produced
to work with Windows 2000, and unless new versions or drivers are
available, may not be compatible with Windows 7.
If your business is reliant on some of these older systems, give us
a ring and we can help you to plan a smooth and cost efficient
transition. |
