 October's usage statistics saw Apple gain marketshare despite the release of Windows 7, according to Net Applications. (Source: Net Applications)
In latest market research studies, Windows saw its market share slide ever-so-slightly in October, while Apple's gains continue
Did Windows 7's big release slow down Apple's Mac sales? Not so, says new information from market researchers Net Applications.
Hot off a terrific quarter, there's high expectations on Apple to post terrific growth. Thus it made many of Apple's investors and fans nervous to see a well-received Windows 7 launch October 22 and potentially knocking down Apple's own new fledgling OS, Snow Leopard.
As it turns out, instead Apple inched a bit higher for the month. Perhaps swayed by Apple's latest anti-Windows 7 ads, or the deluge of Windows 7 PCs that come with a surplus of junkware, Apple's marketshare rose from 5.12 percent to 5.26 percent, a marketshare gain of 2.73 percent. While seemingly insignificant, it's slow growth, in the face of adversity, like this that has boosted Apple over the course of recent years to a small but meaningful marketshare. Apple's gains also were likely helped by the release of redesigned iMacs and MacBooks, released on October 20.
Meanwhile, Windows 7 was not enough to prevent Windows from sustaining its ninth straight month of marketshare losses. It however lost very little marketshare, sliding a mere 0.23 percent, down to 92.54 percent from 92.77 percent. According to the report, Windows 7 had gained a 2.85 percent beachhead, which apparently was the result of Windows XP users upgrading, as XP use slid correspondingly.
While Windows enjoys a giant lead over OS X, the lead in the next generation war remains seemingly smaller. Windows has a 2.85 percent marketshare, while Apple's OS X 10.6 currently has a 1.16 percent market, a comparison that's certain to delight Apple enthusiasts.
While the data from Net Applications is certainly interesting, it does need to be taken with a grain of salt. Net Applications does not directly estimate hardware sales, rather it determines operating system usage based on data mining at its member sites which services over 160 million customers a month. Thus its metrics can be slightly off and can also favor devices that are typically used to internet browse more, like the iPhone, which currently boasts an abnormally high 0.35 percent marketshare.
In day by day tracking, Windows 7 just recently cracked 3 percent marketshare, according to Net Applications.
"We shipped it on Saturday. Then on Sunday, we rested." -- Steve Jobs on the iPad launch
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