According to the latest research from data analytics company Net Applications, the newest version of Microsoft’s desktop PC operating system (OS), Windows 8, is powering more computers worldwide than Windows Vista.

The market research firm’s latest stats revealed that Windows 8 has seen an uptake in its global usage from 3.82% during April 2013 to 4.27% in May and 5.10% by June 2013. Windows Vista, on the other hand, has seen its worldwide usage drop slightly from 4.75% in April to 4.62% currently.

Thanks to a usage share of 44.37%, Windows 7 remains the most utilised computer OS after claiming the crown from Windows XP back in September 2012. Windows XP hangs on to second place, courtesy of its 37.17% stake. Apple’s Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion is the only non-Windows-based OS in the top 5, with a share of 3.14%.

The global usage rate for Linux comes to just 1.28%, compared to all versions of Mac OS X (7.2%) and all versions of Windows (91.5%).

In other desktop OS related news, Apple recently showcased a developer preview of OS X Mavericks, the upcoming tenth major release of the Mac computer operating system that boasts more than 200 new features.