Stats show that Windows XP continues to be number one in China

Apr 10, 2014 11:58 GMT  ·  By

Windows XP no longer benefits from Microsoft’s support, but the operating remains widely used across the world, including in China, where it reportedly continues to be number one.

Statistics provided by Chinese Internet analytics company CNZZ and published by CNTV reveal that Windows XP continues to be the leading operating system in the country with a market share of over 50 percent, while Windows 7 is the runner-up with 30 percent.

Windows 8, Microsoft’s modern operating system that has already received a couple of major updates, is still far behind, and, according to the aforementioned source, can barely be found “at Internet cafes, businesses and schools.”

But in case you’re wondering how come Windows XP remains so popular in China, the answer is pretty simple.

Windows XP is one of the most pirated operating systems ever, so Chinese users are actually running counterfeited copies that were not receiving updates from Microsoft anyway.

This can only be bad news for Microsoft, as Redmond not only hopes to kill Windows XP completely, but also to reduce piracy in China. As things go right now, none of these is likely to happen anytime soon. At least not in China, where piracy levels are shockingly high.