Windows 8.x is flatlining

With Windows 10 arriving in the summer it’s no surprise to find that Windows 8.x’s growth has stalled (not that the tiled OS ever really took off in the first place).

According to NetMarketShare, Windows 7 was the big usage share winner in March, going from 55.99 percent to 58.04 percent, an increase of 2.05 percentage points. Windows XP, still shedding users, lost 2.21 percentage points, and is now on 16.94 percent. Which, naturally, is still way more than Windows 8.x.

Talking of the tiled OS, Windows 8 went from 3.55 percent to 3.52 percent, a drop of 0.03 percentage points, while 8.1 rose from 10.49 percent to 10.55 percent, gaining 0.06 percent. In total 8.x gained just 0.03 percentage points. This flatlining is a trend we’ll likely see continuing until Windows 10 arrives, after which Windows 8.x will go into steep decline (there's a flashing neon "do not resuscitate" sign over its head).

Windows 10 Technical Preview now sits on 0.9 percent. It was at 0.8 percent in February, so it should hit the dizzying heights of 1 percent next month, which is pretty good for an early preview.

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