Report: Windows 7 on majority of PCs for 1st time

Nearly three years after it was first launched in 2009, Microsoft's flagship operating system Windows 7 is finally on majority of personal computers for the first time, a web analytics firm said this week. StatCounter said Windows 7 has finally overtaken Windows XP after three years, tech site CNET reported Monday (Manila time). "The stats will likely bring a sigh of relief for Microsoft: it's set to end support for Windows XP in April 2014, and has warned businesses and schools to upgrade to Windows 7 as soon as possible," CNET said. CNET said the figures showed Windows 7 had 50.2 percent of the OS market for June, while Windows XP fell to second, running on 29.9 percent of the world's PCs. Yet, CNET said Windows 7 had been slow to reach the level of popularity enjoyed by XP, which was launched in 2001. Still, Windows 7 had a much better reception from computer users than its immediate predecessor Windows Vista. Rival says XP still leader But CNET said rival analytics company Net Applications said Windows XP still has 43.6 percent of the market while Windows 7 has 41.6 percent. CNET said Net Applications' trend line shows about a one-percent rise per month for Windows 7, and around the same rate of decline for Windows XP. "At this rate, it is fair to assume by Net Applications' figures that by the time Windows 8 is released into the wild this fall, the positions of the old and new operating systems will be reversed," it said. — LBG, GMA News