Report: Some Windows XP Users Migrating to OS X

While fewer and fewer folks are continuing to employ Microsoft's aging Windows XP, according to a new report from industry analyst firm, Net Applications, more and more people are using Apple's Mac OS X operating system (OS).

Net Applications compiles its reports on OS usage by using data gleaned from 160 million web users visiting 40,000 distinct Internet sites.

The research firm's new study finds that Windows XP's market share slipped nearly two percentage points in the last month, down to 45.4 per cent.

That marks the decade-old operating system's most significant decline in months, and the fourth time in the last year that it lost roughly two percentage points in a single month. (Source: cnet.com)

Windows 7 Expected to Surpass Windows XP This Summer

Another milestone was also set in February: with only 49.4 per cent of Windows users running XP, for the first time fewer than half of all Windows-based PCs are using the old operating system.

By contrast, Windows 7, released in the fall of 2009, continues its growth. It gained 1.7 per cent in market share during February, reaching 38.1 per cent of the OS market.

Experts now expect that Windows 7 will surpass Windows XP and take over the top spot in this market sometime during the summer of 2012.

Apple OS Making Record Gains

Another big gainer in February was Mac OS X from Apple, which saw its share of the overall OS market increase half a percentage point, the operating system's biggest monthly hike, ever.

That brings the Apple OS' total market share to just a shade under seven per cent. Two versions of Apple's OS X account for most of this seven per cent.

OS X 10.7 (otherwise known as "Lion," released in 2011) controls 38.9 per cent of the Apple niche. OS X 10.6 (better known as "Snow Leopard," released in 2009) is used by 43.4 per cent of Apple's OS user base.

Both Apple and Microsoft are planning new OS releases this year. OS X 10.8, or "Mountain Lion", is due out in late summer, while Windows 8 is rumored to be scheduled for a fall launch. (Source: computerworld.com)

For the time being, it isn't clear which of the two will have a bigger impact on the overall OS market.

However, industry insiders speculate that Apple may offer existing Mac users a free upgrade to Mountain Lion. If that happens, the next version of OS X may set new usage records for Apple.