Windows 7, 8, Vista: Uptake Rates Compared

Windows 8's uptake rate might be low by comparison to its predecessor, Windows 7, but a new report shows it's considerably higher than Windows Vista's adoption rate.

Internet analyst firm Net Applications recently released a report examining user acceptance of each of these operating systems' during their first full month of availability.

According to that report, Windows 8 was running on approximately 0.45 per cent of all Windows computers during the month of October, 2012.

Windows 7 5X More Popular Than Windows 8

That's far lower than Windows 7's first month of availability back in 2009, when it was powering about 2.33 per cent of all Windows PCs.

But there's a bright side to this for Microsoft: Windows 8's uptake rate was noticeably higher than Vista's. Launched back in early 2007, during its first month of availability Vista was loaded onto roughly 0.15 per cent of all Windows-based PCs.

All in all, those same observers say Windows 8 is about twice as popular as Windows Vista was in its first month. (Source: i4u.com)

Holiday Launch Helps Windows 8

One reason for the faster uptake may be that Windows 8 holds a notable advantage over Vista in this regard: unlike Vista, Windows 8 was released prior to the lucrative holiday shopping season.

Industry insiders insist that October is a much better month to release a new software package than January or February, when most people are conserving cash after the expensive holiday shopping period.

That's why some experts believe Windows 8's share of the market will be seen to increase substantially during November and December, 2012, as people pick up new PCs and tablet computers, which will be running it. (Source: computerworld.com)

Nevertheless, thanks to a weak economy and hesitation about the operating system's drastic user interface overhaul, it's clear that Windows 8's market penetration just after launch won't come close to matching the success of its predecessor's.