Windows XP stays strong despite end of support

Net Applications

Microsoft cut off support for Windows XP on April 8, but users of the aged OS aren't exactly jumping ship in droves.

For April, Windows XP scored a 26.3 percent share of all desktop OS Web traffic monitored by Net Applications. That number was down from the 27.7 percent share seen in March. Though XP's grip of the market continues to drop, it's still by far the second most popular desktop OS, at least based on Net Applications' stats.

Microsoft no longer provides bug fixes, security patches, or other updates to XP, leaving users of the almost 13-year-old OS more vulnerable to security threats. Microsoft began announcing the end of XP support nearly seven years ago to give people plenty of opportunity to migrate to a newer version of Windows. XP's share will certainly continue to inch down, but for now the OS still holds a tight grip on many users.

Windows 7 continues to dominate with almost half of all desktop OS traffic, snagging a 49.3 percent share in April, up from 48.7 percent the previous month. Windows 8 and 8.1 combined took home a 12.24 percent share, up from 11.3 percent in March, according to Net Applications.