Windows 8.1 Passes Windows Vista In Market Share 249
An anonymous reader writes "With the release of Windows 8.1 to the world in October, January was the third full month of availability for Microsoft's latest operating system version, which was just enough time for it to pass Windows Vista in market share. While Windows 8.1 is certainly growing steadily and eating into Windows 8s share, the duo only managed to end 2013 with 10 percent market share, barely impacting Windows 7."
Re:Count the both minor versions... (Score:5, Informative)
While Windows 8.1 is certainly growing steadily and eating into Windows 8s share, the duo only managed to end 2013 with 10 percent market share
I think they did, "the duo" here seems to refer to 8 and 8.1 while the preceding sentence talked about Vista and 8.1. You could just as easily read it as Vista and 8.1 is "the duo" eating into the market share of 8 though, except it doesn't make any logical sense. Very confusingly written.
Re:LOL (Score:5, Informative)
I just added the figures myself and they add up fine. Parent needs to get a new calculator.
They are breaking down the Windows OSes as a part of the whole enchilada , not just Windows.
Re:Well.... (Score:4, Informative)
Or you could buy a chromebook or one of the many android-based laptops (often tablet/laptop convertibles) or there's the dell xps developer editions which comes with linux pre-installed or Lenovo Thinkpads [lenovo.com] or failing all of that you could get a refund [theopensourcerer.com] on the windows license if you dont want it as many people have done.
The only party with an interest in pretending Microsoft is the only game in town for pre-installed systems is Microsoft, there are in fact plenty of other options.
Re:Windows 8 woes (Score:5, Informative)
(you have to dig somewhere in windows 8 to "unlock the bios", reformat the drive for a different file type, etc)
That's not Microsoft's doing, the hardware vendor shipped the computer with Secure Boot enabled, which Windows 8 supports, but 7 does not. You can't blame them for enabling a new feature. If it's hard to go back, the hardware vendor wrote the user interface, not Microsoft, so put the blame where it belongs.
... only to find out that I couldn't get all the windows 7 drivers. Even basic stuff like the ethernet did not work. I had not experienced to what extent a new PC was non functional after installing the OS. I had to restore it back to windows 8, and buy a different laptop with windows 7 installed.
Once again, the hardware vendor was the one that decided not to distribute Windows 7 drivers. I've found many cases where the driver actually works with Windows 7, but the installer is specifically coded to refuse to run on 7. It's more of the hardware vendor trying to reduce its expenses by not training tech support staff on more than one operating system than an actual flaw with Windows.
Re:Sort of (Score:2, Informative)
Windows 8/8.1 under the hood is better than Windows 7 under the hood.
I haven't seen that yet. I just rolled back to Windows 7 on a Lenovo x230. Even with Windows 8.1 drivers the NIC sometimes wouldn't work after waking up the laptop. Will drivers make Windows 8 remembered like Vista?
When Windows 8 came out I tried it and call it, "My eight hours on Windows 8". With 8.1 and StartIsBack it's OK, but I realized I jumped through a few hoops to make it exactly like Windows 7 so why deal with the headaches and removed features (manage wireless networks I'm looking at you), hidden features, and breakages (SkyDrive sync). This time I lasted a month.