Almost a decade after its initial launch, Microsoft Corp.'s Windows XP operating system continues to power over a half of personal computers that are used worldwide. Various Windows OS operating systems power 87.57% of all devices that are used to browse the Internet and are installed on over 90% of PCs.

The figures revealed this week by Net Applications, which track operating systems used to browse the Internet, show that Microsoft Windows XP was installed on 49.69% of devices used to browse the Internet in July, 2011. The latest Windows 7 powered 27.92% of systems and Windows Vista had 9.27% market share. All versions of Apple Mac OS X were used on 5.56% of systems and Apple iOS powered 3.01% of devices.

All mobile operating systems accounted for 5.43% share of devices used to browse the web, which means that the vast majority of systems used for such activities are still desktops and notebooks, on which Windows operating systems seem to have over 90% market share.

The popularity of Microsoft Windows XP ten years after its release show how perfect and sophisticated the operating system, which was launched in 2001, was and still is. A decade long lifecycle on the market where technologies get completely outdated in three to five years and an optimal lifespan of a PC is about three to four years is simply extraordinary.

Partly, the continuously high adoption of Windows XP means that many end-users do not see benefits in modern operating systems and devices on their base compared to their PCs that can now be five years old. The trend is particularly alarming for Microsoft and computer manufacturers as they may see erosion of their revenues and profits as a consequence of stagnation of the PC market.

Tags: Microsoft, Windows, Apple, Mac OS X, iOS, Linux