Win7 Usage Already Outpacing Mac OS, Study Suggests

According to a a recent study, Windows 7 is already being used on more computers than Mac OS. In fact, Windows 7's usage outperforms all versions of Apple's system put together.

According to Net Applications, 5.14% of online users were running Windows 7 last Sunday, compared with Apple's average of 5% for the week as a whole. However, Windows 7 only averaged 4.15% for the week, which is a fairer comparison. Figures for Sunday alone aren't available for Mac OS yet. (Source: tomshardware.com)

It's possible Apple's figures for the Sunday will turn out to be higher than its weekly average as, typically, people who own a Mac use one at home, not at work. However, even if this proves to be the case, Net Applications believes that Windows 7 will have a consistent lead sooner rather than later.

Win7 Adopted at Faster Rate than Vista

So what can we learn from the figures? Well, the latest edition of Windows overtaking the Mac system isn't the real story: it may have happened more quickly than expected, but given the relative market shares of Microsoft and Apple, it was an inevitability.

What's more notable is that Windows 7 is now being adopted by users quicker than Vista was. It looks as though the system (released on October 22nd, 2009) will average a 4% share for November as a whole, a figure Vista took four months to achieve. And chances are, that pace will quicken thanks to sales in the U.S. holiday bargain season, which kicks off this week with Black Friday. (Source: computerworld.com)

Are Businesses Waiting on Win 7?

Another point which isn't getting as much coverage as the Mac vs PC and Vista vs Windows 7 rivalries is that the weekend figures for Windows 7 were notably higher than those for the rest of the week. That's only a snapshot at the moment, but if it develops into a consistent trend, it could be a sign that Windows 7 is being picked up by home users much more quickly than by businesses.

Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean business sales are a flop. The disparity could simply be down to over-performing consumer sales. It may also be that many businesses intend to upgrade to Windows 7 but are waiting until their new financial year comes in the spring to find spare money in their budgets.