As if Microsoft is finally realizing that they're stuff is crap. First Windows 7, now a completely new browser. Just when we thought the reign of Microsoft was over, eh? :laugh:
Actually, it's because Vista was 6.0. And since 7 is what Vista should have been, they stuck it at 6.1 while retaining the number 7 that was supposed to be 7.0.
Microsoft's lost 3% market share in less than a year (source). There is some good hype regarding Windows 7, but remember that Windows 7 won't be released until at least late this year. That means the downward trend will continue for another half year, and Apple market share will probably hit the big 10% mark by that time. I don't know if simply making a slightly better OS and a browser that's on par with the others (for once) will be enough to lure people back. Not to mention that Linux usability has grown in leaps and bounds; just a few years ago, it was nigh impossible for an average user to install and use any distribution of Linux. Now it's easier than installing XP for some distributions.