Windows 8.1 finally overtakes XP

Microsoft is doing a fine job of burying Windows XP, but still has a long way to go toward getting people onto the latest version of its operating system. According to Statcounter, usage of Windows 8.1 narrowly overtook Windows XP in November. That’s partly due to record growth for Windows 8.1, which went from 9.31 percent in October to 10.95 percent last month. Windows XP usage also continued to plummet in its seventh full month without Microsoft support, dropping from 11.95 percent to 10.69 percent.

It took Microsoft a little longer than expected, but the newest Windows iteration available to the masses has finally edged out the aging XP build more than a year after reaching general availability. According to StatCounter, Win 8.1 leaped from a market share of 9.31 percent in October to nearly 11 percent in November. Meanwhile, XP dipped over a percentage point in the recent 30-day timeframe. As such, it yielded the silver medal it was so desperately clinging to, dropping to last place on the podium, with a 10.69 percent share. Modest compared to, say, XP’s 19.3 score a year back, but still pretty solid for an OS that turned 13 in October. As for 8.1, StatCounter has been tracking its slow but steady progress for a while now, reporting monthly increases of below one percent since its inception. The last couple of months have seen its growth accelerate from 8.07 percent in September to 9.31 in October and finally 10.95 now.