14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is still struggling to make Windows 8 a successful product, but Windows 7 remains very appealing for many buyers, an IT expert revealed.
While Windows 8 still strives to grow beyond its current 5 percent market share, Windows 7 continues to top the market with more than 44 percent, according to market researcher Net Applications.
And as far as Aristeo Torres, owner of Post Computer Systems in Wilbraham, Mass., is concerned, these rankings pretty much make sense. Windows 7 continues to be a top-selling product, even though the company has already launched Windows 8 and is getting ready to debut 8.1.
“We've seen recent growth in hardware sales, and Windows 8 is actually driving -- but not because we're selling Windows 8,” he told CRN.
“The great majority of customers that are buying hardware from us are buying Windows 7 machines. And, our sales are being driven by the fact that Windows 8 was such a radical departure.”
Microsoft’s biggest challenge right now is to move users from Windows XP to a newer platform, be it Windows 7 or Windows 8, as the 11-year-old OS will be discontinued on April 8, 2014.