PC World cited figures from Statcounter showing Windows 8.1 had 9.31 percent of the desktop OS market share in October to 10.95 percent in November.
"Windows 8.1 is likely benefiting from the back-to-school season, as most new PCs are shipping with the operating system on board. Some Windows 8 users may still be getting around to the free upgrade as well, as Windows 8 usage dropped from 5.94 percent to 4.9 percent in November," it said.
In contrast, XP dropped from 11.95 percent to 10.69 percent during the same period.
But figures from another metrics firm, Netmarketshare, showed XP ahead of 8.1.
"It seems likely that Windows 8.1 will land on top for both metrics firms within a month or two," it said.
Microsoft has been discouraging users from continuing to use XP, which debuted in 2001, by stopping security updates for it.
Windows 7
However, it is still Windows 7 - rolled out in 2009 - that remains the most used version of Windows to date.
PC World said Windows 7 takes up 50.34 percent of the desktop market share.
"Expect a major upgrade offensive against Windows 7 next year, with rumors of free or cheap consumer upgrades to the more desktop-friendly Windows 10," PC World said. — Joel Locsin/TJD, GMA News
source: gmanetwork.com
