Windows 8 inches up in desktop OS market

From CNET News.com: Microsoft's latest flavor of Windows took home 3.84 percent of all traffic captured by Web tracker Net Applications in April. That proved a small gain from the 3.2 percent earned in March.

Starting with a 1.09 percent share in November, Windows 8 sliced out a a 1.72 percent share in December. A 2.26 percent share in January helped it sneak past Mac OS X 10.8 to grab fourth place among all desktop operating systems. And February saw another small gain to 2.7 percent.

The stats also looked at both traditional PCs and touchscreen computers. Of the 3.84 percent share earned last month, Windows 8 touchscreen PCs accounted for 0.02 percent. Windows RT touchscreen computers were unable to register any blip at all on Net Applications' radar.

How has Windows 8 fared in comparison with Windows 7?

Both operating systems officially debuted in October of their respective years -- Windows 7 in 2009 and Windows 8 in 2012. By April of 2010, Windows 7 has already carved almost 12 percent of the OS market tracked by Net Applications.

Microsoft tried to push Windows 8 last year through a hefty discount price. Windows 7, Vista, and XP users were able to buy Windows 8 Pro for just $39.99. And Windows 7 users who purchased their PCs between June of last year and January 31 of this year could buy the new OS for just $14.99. But both of those deals expired in January, which means users have to cough up $119.99 for the standard version of Windows 8 and $199.99 for the Pro edition.

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