Windows XP market share fell to 46% last month, still the most popular

Computer shop news Market research company Net Applications released data on Tuesday showed that in April, Windows XP's share of the global operating system market was 46.08%, down from 46.86% in March.

Since November last year, Windows XP’s market share has continued to fluctuate. At the same time, Windows 7's market share continued to grow, which was 38.67% in April this year, up from 37.54% in March. The trend of the past year clearly shows that Windows 7's market share relative to Windows XP continues to grow. In April 2011, the market share of Windows 7 and Windows XP was 26.36% and 55.94%, respectively.

However, the market share of Windows XP remains strong. Microsoft has taken various measures to encourage individual users and businesses to move from Windows XP to Windows 7. Microsoft has achieved some success, but the process is still very slow.

For individual users, replacing a brand new operating system is a onerous task, especially considering that Microsoft does not offer a way to upgrade directly from Windows XP to Windows 7. Business users face greater trouble. Before upgrading to Windows 7, organizations need to make sure that the hardware and software they use are compatible with this new system.