Although the adoption percentage of Windows 8.1 that Microsoft wanted to reach took longer to achieve than expected, the Redmond-based firm finally got a good number of users last month. In November, the number of Windows 8.1 users finally surpassed those who used the older Windows XP operating system. These were individuals who used the new OS for the first time since it was released in October 2013.
Based on the latest data gathered by StatCounter, Windows 8.1 managed to reach the global 10 percent market share that Microsoft has been aiming for since the OS was released last year, even surpassing the numbers at 10.95 percent presently.
Microsoft Windows 8.1 showed a steady increase in its user percentage over the last couple of months. It managed to record 8.07 percent back in September, then it reached 9.31 percent in October before it finally surpassed the 10 percent mark in November.
Meanwhile, Windows XP, which was released more than a decade ago, lost 1.26 percent after it earned a 10.60 percent market share this year. It managed to get 11.95 percent around the same time last year.
However, analysts are not expecting to see Windows 8.1, or even Windows XP, surpass the success of Microsoft's best-selling operating system, Windows 7. Despite being released in 2009, the well loved operating system still dominates the PC market at 50.34 percent in November. The numbers actually increased from a month before it, when Windows 7 only had 49.66 percent market share.
There are a lot of different factors why there has been a sudden increase in the number of Windows 8.1 users in the market this month. One of them is the sudden influx of new PC buyers after the recently concluded Black Friday event where shoppers managed to grab more affordable computer deals in retail markets.
It could also be the result of Microsoft's decision to discontinue selling other operating system alternatives in the market. When the Windows 7 Home Basic was pulled out from shelves, the Windows 8.1 became the only option left.
