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Microsoft has reminded users more than once through countdowns to abandon Windows XP and upgrade to a new system. Perhaps they harbor such a dream: by the official end on April 8th next year, the market share of Windows XP will drop below 10%, making room for Windows 8. However, it now seems that this dream is difficult to achieve.
According to the latest statistics for July published by authoritative market research firm Net Applications, Windows XP still holds a high market share of 37.19%, and interestingly, this figure has increased by 0.02% compared to June.
In fact, from December 2012 to July 2013, over a span of seven months, the market share of Windows XP has only decreased from 41.23% to 37.19%, less than five percentage points. Moreover, in January, February, and July 2013, there were three rebounds. This period coincided with Microsoft's aggressive promotion of Windows 8, which clearly demonstrates how strong the vitality of Windows XP is.
In contrast, Windows 7 has remained relatively stable, fluctuating around 44%. Meanwhile, Windows 8 has struggled to grow, increasing by 5.1% over seven months.
While Windows XP has become a classic of its generation, it has also caused Microsoft no small amount of trouble. Although Microsoft has been using various means to "induce" users to let go of XP and upgrade to a new system, such as putting up countdowns early on their official website, offering promotions for upgrading to new systems and software, and repeatedly emphasizing that the cessation of support for Windows XP will be like a bomb, leaving all potential compatibility and security issues for enterprise users to face. The results, however, have been minimal.
Andrew Brust, CEO of Microsoft observation and analysis company Blue Badge Insights, previously told the media that commercial customers who remain loyal to the Windows XP platform do not see the necessity of upgrading, and this will continue to be the case in the short term.
Windows XP may never die, but it is gradually fading away.