Microsoft might be ending support for Windows XP in just about a month, but the venerable OS is not going anywhere any time soon-- according to Net Market Share 29.5% of PCs continue running on XP.
Windows XP supports ends on 8 April 2014, meaning users will no longer get system updates or patches. Microsoft is understandably eager to get such users to move to newer Windows versions (preferably 8/8.1), and even offers a free tool for hopefully smooth migration.
However Windows 8 support remains low-- while 47.3% of PCs run on Windows 7, just 6.4% run Windows 8, with an additional 4.3% for Windows 8.1. Vista is also still around, with 3.1% share.
The rest of the pie is divided between Mac OS X (3.5%), Linux (1.5%) and "other" (4.4%).
Such a large percentage of users sticking to Windows XP only means greater potential for security exploits come April 2014, particularly since such PCs also tend to carry older browsers. However rumour has it Microsoft will encourage upgrades with "Windows 8.1 with Bing," a low-cost (if not free) Windows version.
According to the The Verge Windows 8.1 with Bing will bundle "key" Microsoft services and apps, and might be positioned as an upgrade for Windows 7 users.
More details on Microsoft's Windows plans should emerge following the April 2014 Build developer conference.
Go Microsoft Experimenting With Free Version of Windows 8.1 (The Verge)
