Windows 8 finally takes off as XP share slides

Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 combined share up almost one point compared with July last month

The combined market share for Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 has grown at the fastest sequential rate since XP support ended, according to new figures.

Netmarketshare claims that in August, the combined global market share of Microsoft's latest OS grew from 12.48 per cent in July to 13.37 per cent in August – up 0.89 points.

When Windows XP support ended in April, Microsoft encouraged migrating users to upgrade to Windows 8, but in the following months, users flocked to Windows 7 instead, with the combined market share for Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 remaining more or less flat.

But last month was a turning point, with Windows XP market share dropping almost one point from July to 23.89 per cent.

Microsoft is expected to unveil its latest OS, Windows 9 – which is codenamed Windows Threshold – later this month.

IDC claimed earlier this week that the new operating system's arrival on the market might spark interest in the PC market.

"The launch of Windows 9 Threshold in 2015 could potentially boost demand, although it will be hard to gauge the actual impact until the advantages to consumers and commercial users in functionality and integration with specific devices is more apparent," the analyst said.