The number of users on Windows XP dropped in October, with Windows 8.1 usage moving closer to overtaking the 13-year-old operating system in terms of market share.
During last month, Windows XP usage fell almost 7%, dropping to a 17.18% market share from 23.97%.
In comparison, Windows 8.1 usage rose over 4% during October, going from a global PC market share of 6.67% to 10.92%.
The figures are from OS-monitor Netmarketshare, which tracks operating system usage on a month-by-month basis.
October’s stats also show Windows 7 usage is on the rise, going from a 52.7% share in September to a 53% share in October.
Windows 8 as a whole, which includes the original Windows 8 release and the 8.1 update rose from holding a 12.2% market share to gaining an almost 17% market share.
The rise in Windows 8.1 usage could be attributed to the explosion of Surface Pro 3 tablet sales by Microsoft, as reported in its Q1 earnings last week.
The laptop-replacement helped Microsoft’s devices and consumer hardware division rake in $908 million in revenues during the quarter.
