Windows 8.1 overtakes Mac OS X 10.9 among desktop OS users

C/NET ^ | 12/02/2013 | by Lance Whitney

[SeekAndFind]

Windows 8.1 is now the fifth most popular desktop OS, at least as recorded by Web tracker Net Applications.

For November, Microsoft's latest version of Windows snagged 2.64 percent of all desktop OS traffic recorded by Net Applications. That number was a healthy gain from the 1.72 percent seen in October and the 0.87 percent in September.

The rise also pushed Windows 8.1 just ahead of Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks with a 2.42 percent share and just behind Windows Vista with a 3.57 percent share.

Windows 8.1 popped up in June as a preview edition before officially launching in October. The upgrade is free to Windows 8 users and offers several improvements over its predecessor.

Windows 8 continued to shed its share of traffic in November as more users upgraded to its successor. But combined, Windows 8 and 8.1 took home a 9.3 percent share, easily outscoring Vista but still playing a distant third to Windows 7 with 46.6 percent and Windows XP with 31.2 percent.

XP has gradually lost ground since giving up its dominance to Windows 7 in August 2012. But the 12-year-old XP continues to hang on among users and businesses. Time is running out, though. Microsoft is set to cut off support for XP in early April.

[The KG9 Kid]

... Real keyboards are still generally being used for any work requiring a lot of typing. Of course Windows Surface offers that on their tablet."

Is that so? Well, thanks.

If I ever encounter another human being in possession of a Windows Surface tablet, I'll be sure to look for it.

[GeronL]

I am surprised that MS 8 lets people change their wallpaper...

[Dead Corpse]

I have four computers and 2 iPads on my "Network"..

Did you want a cookie?

I have 4 buildings and over 5000 users on my network. Most of which I've either built or upgraded since starting here.

Parallels sucks. Try VBox. Works a treat.

[nascarnation]

You have to slit the face with a razor blade and soak with harsh chemicals for an hour, then chizel it off.

[GeronL]

lol

[Red in Blue PA]

Amazing what one can get for the money with a Windows system. I got an HP system with a Quad core processor, 8 GB of DRAM, and 2 TB of storage for $429.

AN equivalent Apple system would cost $2000 or more.

[GeronL]

I do not want a stupid tablet.

I want a real computer.

[tennmountainman]

Have a Mac and Windows. Went bacteria to Windows 7 a couple days ago.
Had been using Windows 8 for a year. Did not like it.

[Billthedrill]

I am surprised that MS 8 lets people change their wallpaper...

I "borrowed" a friend's Mac desktop screenshot and made it my boot wallpaper. Probably illegal but it sure causes a lot of double-takes.

[GeronL]

Why would it be illegal? Sounds funny.

[mass55th]

"This story is straight out about DESK TOPS… and by the by the Mac book pro is used by lots of folks."

I've got both an iMac and MacBookPro that I use every day.

[FreedomPoster]

>> BTW the business user choose Windows XP.

Business users are fine with Win7 in most cases, and see XP as the old friend that has outlived its usefulness that it is.

[FreeAtlanta]

I love my 8.1 laptop. I was in mourning as I started my new job using XP. At least I have a job.😃

[cynwoody]

Yet XP continues to Rock On.

[Billthedrill]

Why would it be illegal?

Oh, probably not, but if it actually did anything I think Apple would be ticked off for stealing their "look and feel". And yeah, I thought my friend was going to have a minor heart attack when he saw it...

[GeronL]

lol

[deoetdoctrinae]

Man, that's pretty darn good for under $500.00. My wife didn't need all that much (and needed to spend less money), but she's fine with the new laptop. It's a 15" Toshiba with an OK AMD processor, 4GB of RAM, 500GB hard drive, webcam, optical drive (rare anymore huh?), and it was $259.00.

If Momma is happy, I'm happy, lol.

[cynwoody]

Last year I went to one of the biggest developer conferences in the world, and not one presenter, not a single one, had a windows machine, all were Mac, and at least 1/2 the audience was using macs.... (And no this wasn’t an apple conference and it had nothing to do with apple)....

I've noticed that, too. I watch presentations by Google engineers from time to time. Google runs on Linux, but their engineers pretty much all use Macs.

Google engineer Brad Neuberg gives talk on the future of the Web

[conservaKate]

I do not want a stupid tablet.

I want a real computer.
__________________________________________________________

I have a tablet and a computer and like them both. BUT...for me the tablet is only good for reading/surfing...it surely is a pita to post w/ or write w/. No formatting and just basically a pain because it’s so slow to tap on letters vs typing I can do w/ a ‘real’ computer.

I use the tablet more when I’m being too lazy to get up and go to my laptop.

Re Windows vs Apple...as long a schools and businesses use Windows...that’s what most people will be comfortable with. WindowsXP was a great OS...but my company changed...slowly...over to Windows 7. There are just too many internal functions w/in our company that rely on a Windows based OS...can’t see how we would ever change OS.

Gosh only knows the productivity they lost when we went from blackberry to I phones. I’m surrounded by slow learners. Okay...I’m also one of those slow learners. Just wish they would quit improving the dang software. :)

[SecondAmendment]

> For all OSX fans, 10.9 dual screen still works like an afterthought.

I have to disagree big time here, IMHO they finally fixed it !

And even better, you can now use AppleTV as an INDEPENDENT EXTENDED DESKTOP via AirPlay :).

The only downside is that apps can't span multiple displays when using independent desktops.