Windows 8 is still less popular than Windows XP: Windows 10 on the rise.

In spite of initial predictions of a slowing adoption of Windows 10 after the expiration of Microsoft’s free upgrade to existing owners of Windows 8 and Windows 7 licenses, the month of August has been very good to Windows 10, as the operating system rose to a 22.99% market share, pushed by a +1.86% uptick.

Windows 7 is still the most popular Windows, trending at 47.25%, with a +0.25% increase, while Windows 8 has also reported a slight upward-push to 7.92%. Windows XP is finally reporting a steep decline in users, which now represents 9.36% of the operating systems market share.

The data, as provided by Netmarketshare, is a dynamic representation of current trends and may change substantially in the coming months. However it is clear that Windows 10 is faring a lot better than what naysayers have expected.

While the promise of a Billion Windows 10 machines by 2017 is officially up in smoke, what counts is that new buyers are showing signs of being confident in keeping Windows 10 on their new laptops and desktops, rather than rolling back to Windows 7 or Windows 8.

The prospect of new devices powered by more powerful 7h generation Intel Core processors, expected to hit retailers this fall, will likely cause Windows 10 market share to increase, as Windows 10 devices get faster, and Microsoft strengthens its own ecosystems around the OneCore platform, with a renewed focus on mobile and 2-in-1 devices, like the Surface Pro 5, Surface Book 2, and perhaps, even the rumored Surface Phone, whose ethereal presence has been “felt” throughout benchmark reports, with regular cadence.

On that note, Microsoft may be more determined than ever to focus on mobile after the sale of its Lumia division, as the company works on a consolidation of its product lines under the Surface “flag”.

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