Windows 7 has approached the user share numbers set by Windows XP six years ago, hinting that unless Microsoft executes its Windows 10 upgrade plans to perfection, Windows 7 will persist on devices long after its 2020 retirement.
Windows 8's uptake was stuck in reverse for the second quarter in a row.
Windows XP and Windows 8 returned to their traditional pattern in March, with the soon-to-be-retired XP losing the most user share since December while Windows 8 gained ground.
Windows XP's disappearance and Windows 8's march toward some kind of success were both put on hold in January, after a December when the former's user share plunged and the latter's swelled, a Web analytics company said.
Windows 8 surged in December to end the year with almost 12% of the user share of all Windows personal computers, while the destined-for-retirement Windows XP restarted its decline after a two-month pause, a Web analytics company Net Applications said Thursday.
Microsoft's support for WIndows XP ends in less than four months, and the company has warned users repeatedly that it's time to move on. But a lot of them are sticking with the aged OS. And for Microsoft, that's a problem.