With the launch of Windows 8 Consumer Preview on February 29, 2012, millions are already using the latest Microsoft operating system every day. The new operating system is reported to be an elegant re-imagination of Windows, carefully blending the existing mobile and desktop operating system experience. Chitika Insights has been following the progress of the Windows 8 launch dating back to 2011, when usage was significantly below the newly touted levels. Now that the Windows 8 Consumer Preview has had some time to gain a foothold in the market, Chitika Insights has conducted a new research study to determine its current rate of adoption in the U.S and Canada.

To quantify this study, Chitika Insights took a sample composed of hundreds of millions of ad impressions from within the Chitika Ad network; ranging from April 13 to April 19, 2012. A user agent analysis was then conducted on this sample of data to determine the current rate of adoption for Windows 8 compared to other Windows operating systems available in the market. A table depicting the results of this study can be seen below:

This data highlights the relative success of the Windows 8 Consumer Preview over the last few months. Making up .1% of all Windows traffic, or one out of every 1,000 impressions, the Windows 8 Consumer preview exhibits traffic levels almost twice that of Mac OS X Mountain Lion, and more than three times the peak level of traffic witnessed for Windows 8 Developer Preview.

The increased level of activity for Windows 8 is definitely a good sign for Microsoft, particularly as it has sustained itself over the last two months. Although the new OS is still under development, it brings several refreshing features to the market, many of which consumers have long been clamoring for.

For advertisers and marketers, this level of adoption for the Windows 8 Consumer Preview hints at two major trends. Firstly, the rapid rate of technological innovation is cutting down on product development times and lifecycles, fundamentally changing the way we market. Furthermore, it illustrates how a new segment can rapidly develop and become a true moving force in any market which has to be catered to in its own ways to fully take advantage of its value.

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