According to a new report, Windows 7 usage has now surpassed that of Windows XP in the United States. It's a major feat for Microsoft's newest operating system, especially considering that Windows Vista barely dented XP market share despite several years of availability.

The report comes courtesy of market analyst StatCounter, which recently noted that as of April 10, Windows 7's average daily usage in the U.S. had peaked at 32.2 per cent, just above XP's 30.7 per cent. This marks the first time ever that Windows 7 usage has surpassed its ten-year-old predecessor.

Down the line is Windows Vista at a 19.5 per cent share, and Apple's Mac OS, at 14.8 per cent.

Windows XP Continues to Hold Global Advantage

At its peak in mid-2009, Windows Vista actually showed some signs of life. In August of that year, it reached a daily usage of 35.6 per cent in the U.S., though this hardly approached Windows XP, which at that time remained around the 50 per cent mark.

Around the world, Windows XP continues to hold the advantage. About 31.5 per cent of in-use operating systems include Windows 7, with XP remaining at an impressive 46.8 per cent share. (Source: pcworld.com)

Windows Usage Statistics Vary by Analyst

It's worth noting that not all analysts agree on usage statistics.

Net Applications, for one, continues to report much lower (24.2 per cent) Windows 7 popularity, while insisting on Windows XP's continued dominance (54.4 per cent).

Regardless, there's no doubt that Windows 7's popularity continues to climb. This is not particularly surprising given the recent release of Internet Explorer 9, which coincidentally won't run on Windows XP.

Although it hasn't yet begun encouraging a migration to Windows 7 by XP users, Microsoft has said that the latter represents "the lowest common denominator". (Source: computerworld.com)