From InfoWorld: As Gregg Keizer at Computerworld reports, Web usage numbers from NetMarketshare state that usage of Windows 8 and 8.1 went from 12.3 percent of the market in September to 16.8 percent, up 4.5 percent, in October -- a huge jump, by any metric. At the same time, Windows XP usage fell off a cliff, from 23.9 to 17.2 percent, down 6.7 percent.
While industry pundits offer several reasons for the tectonic shift, several points seem to have fallen through the cracks, including one which bodes well for the future of Windows.
Let's all agree up front that the statistical methodology used by NetMarketshare is far from infallible. As I explained a couple of years ago, you can't take these number as gospel. There are too many sources of sampling error, too many lapses, and too much massaging going on behind the scenes to hang your hat on any specific report.
StatCounter, for example, shows XP usage went from 10.7 percent to 9.2 percent over the same time frame -- a significant downtick, but nowhere near NetMarketshare's cliff. It also showed Windows 8 plus 8.1 share went from 13.9 percent to 14.7 percent -- not exactly yawn-inducing, but certainly nowhere near the leap of faith that those with allegiance to NetMarketshare seem to be scaling.
The October numbers from NetMarketshare don't smell right for another reason. They show that Internet Explorer 11 has gone from 17.1 percent to 24.1 percent -- another huge jump -- while IE8, the former reigning champ, fell from 22.2 percent to 17.3 percent. Of course, IE8 is the last version of IE that works on XP, so any blips in measuring Windows may taint browser numbers as well.
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