A StatCounter data based on 2 billion pageviews revealed that Windows 10 has overtaken Windows 7 globally for the first time. In a press release, StatCounter CEO Aodhan Cullen says that “this is a breakthrough for Microsoft,” as after pushing Windows 10 update hard, the new operating system is finally gaining popularity.
The new report from StatCounter adds that Windows 10 had a 42.78% worldwide desktop market share in January, while Windows 7 dropped to 41.86%. While on the other hand, NetMarketShare reports that Windows 10 is slowly increasing its user base, but the operating system is still not very close to Windows 7.
“This is a breakthrough for Microsoft,” says Aodhan Cullen, CEO, StatCounter in a statement. “Windows 10 was launched at the end of July 2015 and Microsoft will be pleased to have put its Windows 8 experience behind it. However, Windows 7 retains loyalty, especially amongst business users. Microsoft will be hoping that it can replace it a lot quicker than XP, launched back in August 2001, which only fell below 5% usage worldwide in June of 2017.”
NetMarketShare reports that the gap between the Windows 10 and 7 has thus been reduced to just 8.1%, while StatCounter says Windows 10 has overtaken the latter. It was expected as NetMarketShare uses a different algorithm to track the number of users.
It’s also worth noting that the Windows XP operating system is declining at a faster pace than Windows 7, this may be the result of Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities. Unfortunately, Apple’s macOS keeps growing, though Windows continues to be the most used desktop platform.
