'Unprecedented' fall in Windows XP use as Win7 gains

After Microsoft ended support for it and called on users to "upgrade," Windows XP lost an unprecedented amount of online usage share in September a Web metrics company said. Citing data from metrics firm Net Applications, Computerworld reported a 3.9-percent decline in the use of Windows XP in September. In contrast, Windows 7 - the most recent version of Microsoft's flagship operating system - gained 1.8 percentage points to end September with 32.4 percent. Windows 7 has gained 14.8 points in the last 12 months, nearly doubling its share, Net Applications data showed. "If XP and Windows 7 behave according to their three-month average, Windows 7 will replace XP as Microsoft's No. 1 operating system in May 2012; using a 12-month average pushes the swap to June," Computerworld said. But Computerworld noted XP at least fared better than its immediate successor, Windows Vista, which declined by 4.7 points. Vista, which has been criticized for its slow and buggy operation, accounts for just 9.1 percent of all operating systems that power personal computers that connect to the Internet. Computerworld noted Microsoft had been aggressively urging users still running XP - which debuted in 2001 - to upgrade to Windows 7. "It's now time for it to go," Kevin Turner, Microsoft's chief operating officer, said of XP during a call with financial analysts last month. Collision course Computerworld noted Windows XP's decline combined with Windows 7's rise will put the two operating systems on a collision course of sorts. It noted Windows 7 may come close to the 50-percent mark, citing Net Applications' numbers that Windows 7 should have a 48-percent share by October 2012. However, Microsoft has yet to reveal a release schedule for the next-generation OS, Windows 8. Mac OSX share rises too Meanwhile, Computerworld noted Net Applications' operating system data also noted a 0.4-percent boost for Apple Inc.'s Mac OS X to 6.5 percent. Computerworld noted Net Applications calculates operating system usage share using data from more than 160 million unique visitors who browse 40,000 Web sites the company monitors for clients. — TJD, GMA News