Since the launch of Windows 8 back in 2012, the operating system has been struggling to gain traction in an industry that is slowly shifting to Android and iOS. However, not everything is bad news -  reports by market researchers claim Windows 8 is now the fourth most popular operating system, but only by a small margin. 

New data for the month of April from Net Market Research, shows that Windows 8 is growing, but it is doing so slowly, probably too slow a rate to keep Microsoft and PC makers happy. The operating system sits on the chart with 3.82 percent market share, but that doesn't matter much once you realize Windows Vista is ahead of Windows 8 with 4.75 percent market share. 

Windows XP, on the other hand, proves it's not going down without a fight, as it sits on the chart with 38.31 percent market share. This is quite impressive for an operating that was released way back in 2001, that's 11 years ago for those who are not good with basic mathematics. However, come April 8 2014, Microsoft will no longer support Windows XP in any shape or form. By then we should see users moving away to a new operating system faster than you can say "Malware." 

Next up, we have Windows 7. This operating system sits on the chart with a massive 44.72 percent market share. Windows 7 first came out in 2009 after Windows Vista failed to garner the support of critics and fans of Windows alike. Many PC users at this time, including myself, dabbled a bit in Linux, but as usual ended up returning to the world of Windows. 

If you were wondering, the fifth operating system on the chart is Mac OS X 10.8 with a 2.82 percent market share, while Linux is way behind with 1.21 percent. 

As it stands, Windows is still king of the desktop, but the operating system is struggling in the tablet market, a place that is important for future growth. However, don't tell that to BlackBerry CEO, Thorsten Heins.