A screenshot of Windows XP. Image via Wikimedia Commons
Microsoft’s Windows XP remains the second most popular operating system (OS) worldwide in terms of internet usage, independent website analytics company StatCounter reports. This is despite Microsoft ending support for the OS in April.
StatCounter’s research arm, StatCounter Global Stats, found that last month Windows 7 was the global leader on 54.3pc of computers, while XP took 19.2pc on a worldwide basis.
In Ireland, XP is the third most popular OS in terms of internet usage on 10.6pc of machines.
“In Ireland and other mature markets, such as North America and the UK, XP remains ahead of Windows 8, 8.1 and Vista,” said Aodhan Cullen, CEO, StatCounter.
“This has serious implications for users, especially businesses, as lack of support may leave their data and systems at risk of exposure to security and virus issues.”
Despite the risks, XP remains the second most popular OS in terms of internet usage in Europe (16.9pc), South America (18.6pc), Asia (26.4pc), and Africa (32.0pc).
It is the third most popular OS in the US (12.4pc), and the UK (9.5pc).
Microsoft announced nearly a year ago that it would end support for Windows XP on 8 April 2014.
“This means that XP customers and partners will no longer receive security updates or be able to take advantage of tech support from Microsoft,” the company said in a statement.
Updates for Microsoft Security Essentials, however, will be available until July 2015.
