Windows 8 slower out of the traps than predecessor Windows 7 – StatCounter

• Independent web analytics company finds license sales not yet translating into usage

BOSTON & DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Windows 8 internet usage share is behind what its predecessor Windows 7 achieved one month after launch, according to data from StatCounter, the independent web analytics company. The firm’s research arm StatCounter Global Stats finds that by 26^th November 2012 Windows 8 had worldwide internet usage share of 1.31% compared to 4.93% achieved by Windows 7 one month after its launch in 2009.

“Microsoft has reported license sales of 40 million for Windows 8, however this has not yet translated into significant usage figures. This may be due to sales to manufacturers rather than to end users so Windows 8 may well get a boost over the December holiday buying season”

In the US Windows 8 took 1.77% of internet usage one month after launch compared to 5.21% for Windows 7 following its introduction.

“Microsoft has reported license sales of 40 million for Windows 8, however this has not yet translated into significant usage figures. This may be due to sales to manufacturers rather than to end users so Windows 8 may well get a boost over the December holiday buying season,” commented Aodhan Cullen, CEO, StatCounter.

Globally Windows 7 had 52.4% usage on November 26^th, followed by Windows XP on 26.5%. In the US Windows 7 had 49.48% followed by XP with 16.07% which was just ahead of Mac OS on 15.48%.

StatCounter Global Stats data is based on over 15 billion page views per month (4 billion from the US) to the StatCounter network of more than three million websites.

Apart from its research arm, StatCounter (http://statcounter.com/) provides free website stats. This service allows website owners to capture valuable intelligence on their site in real time. New members may sign up at http://statcounter.com/.

Note: When comparing stats for Windows 7 and Windows 8, some additional contextual information may be relevant.

1. Both Windows 7 and Windows 8 underwent significant periods of beta testing before their official launch dates. In absolute terms, Windows 8 is behind Windows 7 one month post launch as outlined above. In relative terms however, Windows 8 has more than tripled its usage share in the first month after launch while Windows 7 only doubled its usage in the corresponding period.

	Usage Share at Launch Date*	One month after launch	Relative Increase
Windows 7	2.21%	4.93%	223%
Windows 8	0.38%	1.31%	345%

*22 Oct 2009/26 Oct 2012

2. Windows 8 was launched around the time of the Hurricane Sandy tragedy. When considering any internet usage stats for the US during this period, it should be borne in mind that the aftermath of the hurricane may have affected typical internet usage at this time.

3. As we only display the top five operating systems on our graphs, Windows 8 is not yet appearing as a separate line item. Instead we have made the stats available for download: http://gs.statcounter.com/files/Windows-8-stats.csv

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