According to recent statistics from Net Applications, Windows XP currently accounts for 46.5% of the global OS market. This is a slight drop since August 2011, when similar statistics showed the OS holding a figure of 49.9%. Of course, this isn’t particularly surprising considering the operating system, released in 2001, is over a decade old. Microsoft’s 2009 release, Windows 7, now holds a 36.9% market share making it the second most popular OS globally. This shows a growth of about 12% since February 2011. The same statistics show Windows Vista, released in 2007, with a meager 8.4% share. More statistics from Q2 of last year indicate Windows 7 has been the most popular OS in the US for a while, but it appears the world is still favoring XP.
Putting all this together, it seems likely that Windows 7 may overtake Windows XP during 2012. However, Microsoft has promised Windows 8 during 2012 (with a public beta arriving in Q1), so that may shy people away from Windows 7. It’s a slippery slope for Microsoft, but one thing is clear… they need to phase out Windows XP. The software giant has announced all XP support will cease in 2014.
KALE: A geek who works in the IT Security field and lives in Dallas, TX. He is also a music geek who has played in several local bands. Previous to his IT career, Kale worked as a photojournalist. He brings technical advice and artistic counterpoint to the podcast. 
