Study: Windows 8 Consumer Preview Usage Doubles that of Mac OS X Mountain L

By Ice_Blue
in The Fast Ring (Insider Previews)

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Grand Master

firey

Posted
Posted

I wouldn't be too surprised right now if Windows 8's market share was shirking in light of the upcoming Release Preview.

I would. Considering the fact that likely the only ones to download/install the RC are the people who downloaded and installed the CP.

Enthusiast

dangel

Posted
Posted

I would. Considering the fact that likely the only ones to download/install the RC are the people who downloaded and installed the CP.

I agree - although people might hold off in the light of being so close to the next build (and the promise of fixing what's got people so fired up about it) - overall though your statement holds up for me.

I will install it - but not at home - only at work where I can easily devote a PC to it (and where I have an obligation to check it out anyway). I've been using the CP since release and overall I like it - but I do have the same problems with the accessibility of the start screen that others raise. I barely see the screen itself and it works pretty much like the old start menu so it doesn't present me with any issues (I only ever typed in the 7 one anyway). I do think it's a very difficult sell for MS though.

Grand Master

Vice

Posted
Posted

That actually made me giggle :)

But, OT - do you really have no problem with your original statement?

I do not because again, Mountain Lion requires a $99 fee from developers to get the operating system. According to some sources there were around 50,000 registered and paid Apple developers in 2010. I couldn't find any more up to date info in the few minutes I searched online before making this post but I'm sure it's more now. Considering Apple holds about 6% of the consumer computer market which consists of a few million users and only around 50,000 to lets say 200,000 of those are developers and even have access to Mountain Lion (after paying $99 per year) It is conceivable to believe that Windows 8, which has many more developers and above 90% market share among consumers would have a much much larger impact than it currently does in stats.

Your point earlier about why Windows 7 was more popular (that people were eager to get away from Windows XP) may be completely valid and I'm not refuting that, but it doesn't change the fact that what I'm saying, which is Windows 8 isn't as popular as previous operating systems is true. If anything what you're saying supports my position that this is one of the least popular operating systems Microsoft has released. And I mean popular in its strictly definition term of actual usage.

When you take all the information together, the small market share of OS X, the $99 fee to get Mountain Lion, Windows 90% PC market share combined with the free consumer preview it all becomes clear that Windows 8 should have a lot more users than OS X Mountain Lion does, several orders of magnitude more. And that just isn't happening. It should be way higher than 50%.

Grand Master

threetonesun

Posted
Posted

When you take all the information together, the small market share of OS X, the $99 fee to get Mountain Lion, Windows 90% PC market share combined with the free consumer preview it all becomes clear that Windows 8 should have a lot more users than OS X Mountain Lion does, several orders of magnitude more. And that just isn't happening. It should be way higher than 50%.

I think I mentioned this earlier, but Windows has closer to a 99% possible marketshare, since any Intel Mac can run Boot Camp, which is in fact how I ran the Windows 8 preview.

Grand Master

Farstrider

Posted
Posted

I wouldn't be too surprised right now if Windows 8's market share was shirking in light of the upcoming Release Preview.

I don't quite get the context here, please explain! Why would the market share "shirk"?? I really do not think that "market share" can shirk! :huh: I think that I know(?) what it is that you are trying to say, but not really 100% sure.

Verb: Shirking.

To avoid or neglect (a duty or responsibility).

Be unwilling to do (something difficult): "we should not shirk from making the effort".

Grand Master

Vice

Posted
Posted

I don't quite get the context here, please explain! Why would the market share "shirk"?? I really do not think that "market share" can shirk! :huh: I think that I know(?) what it is that you are trying to say, but not really 100% sure.

Verb: Shirking.

To avoid or neglect (a duty or responsibility).

Be unwilling to do (something difficult): "we should not shirk from making the effort".

I think he meant Shrink and it was just a typo.

Grand Master

firey

Posted
Posted

I agree - although people might hold off in the light of being so close to the next build (and the promise of fixing what's got people so fired up about it) - overall though your statement holds up for me.

Hmm, I dunno the CP has been out for 3 months now (I think), I think that if people were going to get it they would have by now. I can't see there being many (if any) new downloads per day from people who don't have it installed and are just doing it for the first time now.

Grand Master

BajiRav

Posted
Posted

I do not because again, Mountain Lion requires a $99 fee from developers to get the operating system. According to some sources there were around 50,000 registered and paid Apple developers in 2010. I couldn't find any more up to date info in the few minutes I searched online before making this post but I'm sure it's more now. Considering Apple holds about 6% of the consumer computer market which consists of a few million users and only around 50,000 to lets say 200,000 of those are developers and even have access to Mountain Lion (after paying $99 per year) It is conceivable to believe that Windows 8, which has many more developers and above 90% market share among consumers would have a much much larger impact than it currently does in stats.

Your point earlier about why Windows 7 was more popular (that people were eager to get away from Windows XP) may be completely valid and I'm not refuting that, but it doesn't change the fact that what I'm saying, which is Windows 8 isn't as popular as previous operating systems is true. If anything what you're saying supports my position that this is one of the least popular operating systems Microsoft has released. And I mean popular in its strictly definition term of actual usage.

When you take all the information together, the small market share of OS X, the $99 fee to get Mountain Lion, Windows 90% PC market share combined with the free consumer preview it all becomes clear that Windows 8 should have a lot more users than OS X Mountain Lion does, several orders of magnitude more. And that just isn't happening. It should be way higher than 50%.

1. I am sure there is a torrent somewhere of ML that anyone can freely access and use ML without paying a dime to Apple. Why do you keep bringing that $99 thing? The target users for beta are mostly people like us and majority of Windows users are in enterprise where you can't really install stuff let alone an OS on a whim.

2. Windows 8 CP(beta) has more users than Windows 7 beta at the same point in their respective dev. cycles as per Microsoft.

3. Windows 8 isn't as popular on neowin as Windows 7 for sure. :p

The several magnitudes more than ML is a bit tricky. If ML has say 1M users, do you really think Win8 should have like 100M users? that's not realistic by any measure.

Grand Master

Vice

Posted
Posted

1. I am sure there is a torrent somewhere of ML that anyone can freely access and use ML without paying a dime to Apple. Why do you keep bringing that $99 thing? The target users for beta are mostly people like us and majority of Windows users are in enterprise where you can't really install stuff let alone an OS on a whim.

2. Windows 8 CP(beta) has more users than Windows 7 beta at the same point in their respective dev. cycles as per Microsoft.

3. Windows 8 isn't as popular on neowin as Windows 7 for sure. :p

The several magnitudes more than ML is a bit tricky.

Well lets just say I disagree with your opinion.

Grand Master

BajiRav

Posted
Posted

Hmm, I dunno the CP has been out for 3 months now (I think), I think that if people were going to get it they would have by now. I can't see there being many (if any) new downloads per day from people who don't have it installed and are just doing it for the first time now.

I have it installed on two systems but I am still not using it as primary OS because I still don't trust it to put my data on it. I narrowly escaped the mp3 bug in Windows 7 beta and didn't want to try my luck this time :p I fully plan to shift once 8RP is out provided the basic apps are a bit more usable.

Grand Master

Vice

Posted
Posted

which one? 1, 2 or 3 or all? :p

also edited my last line. :)

I just disagree with your opinion that Windows 8 shouldn't have a higher market share compared to OS X Mountain Lion regardless of the points you made.

Microsoft doesn't know how many users are actively using Windows 8, only the amount of downloaders when it put the ISO up. I downloaded it twice, but I'm not using it.

And yes Mountain Lion is available on Bittorrent as is everything digital and I did make note of this in my first post in this thread but I question how many OS X users would be willing to install it over their current Lion installs and risk instability. Dual Booting of OS X is possible on Macs but in my opinion it is only really easy if you have an external drive to install the 2nd OS X on to. And simply saying it is available on Bittorrent doesn't really change anything, OS X's market share is still 6% and Windows is 90%+

And yeah Windows 8 isn't as popular as Windows 7 is on Neowin. I wont start a discussion on why that is or this thread will gain another 30 pages of discussion on that alone.

Grand Master

BajiRav

Posted
Posted

I just disagree with your opinion that Windows 8 shouldn't have a higher market share compared to OS X Mountain Lion regardless of the points you made.

Microsoft doesn't know how many users are actively using Windows 8, only the amount of downloaders when it put the ISO up. I downloaded it twice, but I'm not using it.

And yes Mountain Lion is available on Bittorrent as is everything digital and I did make note of this in my first post in this thread but I question how many OS X users would be willing to install it over their current Lion installs and risk instability. Dual Booting of OS X is possible on Macs but in my opinion it is only really easy if you have an external drive to install the 2nd OS X on to. And simply saying it is available on Bittorrent doesn't really change anything, OS X's market share is still 6% and Windows is 90%+

And yeah Windows 8 isn't as popular as Windows 7 is on Neowin. I wont start a discussion on why that is or this thread will gain another 30 pages of discussion on that alone.

Gaah...I never said Windows 8 shouldn't have higher market share just disputing your "many magnitudes" higher comment. As you said, not many people are willing to actively risk a beta OS (I am one of them) but not sure why we are discussing this point.:p

You can't really conclude from OS marketshare because OS X is primarily non-enterprise, mostly consumer whereas Windows is majority enterprise. The enterprise marketshare shouldn't even be considered in your comaprision.

Also, I am sure Microsoft knows how many "active Windows 8 sessions" and in turn active users are out there because the beta is logging CEIP by default and users can't disabled it in UI.

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