Windows XP share drops to 14 per cent among industries

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With the deadline for Windows XP fast approaching, there has been a considerable drop in market share for the ageing operating system, but there are still some who are refusing to upgrade.

Between January 2013 and February 2014, the number of Windows XP machines out in the industrial wild dropped from 35 per cent to just 14 per cent, according to Qualys.

This is perhaps its most significant dip yet, and the number is expected to drop further to 10 per cent by the end of April.

Some industries have seen faster migration than others. The transportation sector operated XP on 55 per cent of its machines in January 2013, but this dropped dramatically to just 14 per cent a little over a year later.

Not all good news

The number is less optimistic for the average user, with Netmarketshare showing that Windows XP still ruled 27.69 per cent of the market in March. With many industries shifting to Windows 7 and 8, that means consumers are slow to migrate.

Governments should know better, but apparently they don't. A recent report by the Washington Post suggests 10 per cent of US government computers, some with sensitive information, will still be running XP past the deadline.

Support for Windows XP ends on April 8, the same day we'll be getting Windows 8.1 Update 1. XP will become gradually less secure after that date, and will be a sitting duck for enterprising hackers.

• Windows XP: why its time is up