In another word, Windows 8.x gained 9.25% market share within a year. Close to the same percentage that the MAC and Linux market share has combined, 9.34%. The gain by Windows 8.x within a year may not be keeping pace with XP and/or Windows 7 gains in their respective first year, but does it really matter? It's not like it has to compete with a non-Microsoft OS, that's easy to use, runs all the popular programs, and rapidly gaining market share...
This thread should probably be merged with "Windows 8.1 gains traction among desktop OS users".
http://www.eightforums.com/windows-...-1-gains-traction-among-desktop-os-users.html
It matters to MS, who, for some idiotic reason, believed that W8 would smash Android, iOS and all of the old versions of Windows.
Their dream of skimming 30% off of the top of all software sales has been a dismal failure (so far).
Today, many people have observed that Microsoft is the new dominant force in legacy computing, with legacy redefined as a personal computer running Windows. The new disruptive force is smartphones and tablets, an area in which Apple and Google have become the new dominant forces. Microsoft, to its credit, responded as quickly as it was able to meet this new disruption. The company even re-designed its legacy user interface (the Windows desktop) to be more suited to tablets.
It could be argued that Microsoft was slow to act, just as IBM was. It could also be argued that Windows Phone and Surface tablets have failed to capture market share against iOS and Android in the same way that OS/2 failed to beat back Windows. However, there is one difference that separates Microsoft from most legacy companies: the company doesn’t give up. IBM threw in the towel on OS/2 and then on PCs in general. Microsoft is willing to spend as many billions as it takes in order to claw its way back to a position of power in the new mobile landscape. Microsoft still might not succeed, but for now at least, it's going to keep trying.
I think these numbers show that the big guys (corporate users) do not move to 8. What is also interesting is that Windows 7 is currently gaining market share. That's where the XP and Vista users apparently go.
Btw, I wonder what those 4.55% 'Other' are. Those must be the older Windows versions?
The IBM story is simple - there was just not enough profit margin in the PC business to dedicate a lot of resources to it.
You are reading too much into it. Believe me, I was in the middle of it at the time. It was merely a $$$ decision.