Microsoft Windows 8.x Still Lags Earlier Versions in OS Market Share

It appears that Microsoft's (MSFT) Windows 7 OS still is kicking the stuffing out of both Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 in operating system market share for November, according to figures compiled by researcher Net Applications.

It’s not just that Windows 7 still commands nearly 47 percent of the OS market, it’s also the painfully slow growth rate for the later Windows versions, which together account for slightly more than 9 percent share among all operating systems, including Windows XP, Apple's (AAPL) Mac OS X 10.8 and 10.9 and Linux.

And, Windows XP is doing more than merely hanging on, commanding more than a 31 percent stake in the market with only four months remaining before Microsoft discontinues support for the platform.

Even with impending enterprise upgrade cycles in its hip pocket, you’d think Microsoft would be concerned over the stagnant pace of adoption for Windows 8.x to replace the earlier versions.

In October, for example, Windows 7 owned 46.4 percent of the OS market, while Windows 8 held 7.5 percent and Windows 8.1 owned a 1.7 percent stake or 9.2 percent combined, according to Net Applications. November’s figures show Windows 8 with a 6.7 percent share and Windows 8.1 with a 2.6 percent stake, or a combined 9.3 percent share.

Together Microsoft’s Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 picked up a scant .1 percent share in November with the former sliding .8 percent and the later growing by .9 percent. To say the least, there’s room for improvement there.

By contrast, Windows 7 gained share in November, only .2 percent mind you, but still an uptick in a period when you’d think its growth wouldn’t outstrip the combined totals of its newer cousins.

As Alex Wilhelm at TechCrunch put it, “instead of Windows 8.1 growing quickly ahead of Windows 8′s decline in the period—which would indicate strong upgrades, and sales—Windows 8.1 barely supplanted Windows 8′s decline, either signaling weak upgrades or slow sales. Or both.”

It will be interesting to see if December OS sales noticeably alter November’s Net Applications share figures—if enough tablets and PCs move off the shelves to up Windows 8.1 to a point where it’s taking a bigger bite from Windows 7’s installed base. Or not.