Apple's OS X passes Windows Vista in worldwide usage

Posted:
in macOS edited January 2014
Total Web usage of Apple's OS X operating system has exceeded Microsoft's Windows Vista, while for the first time, Windows 7 has topped Windows XP to become the world's largest operating system.

The latest monthly data of desktop operating shares from Net Applications shows that Microsoft's Windows Vista fell in August to 6.15 percent of tracked Web usage. Meanwhile, Apple's latest operating system, OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, grew to 1.34 percent of all tracked Web usage.

Apple's most popular Mac operating system remains OS X 10.7 Lion, which represents 2.29 percent of computers tracked on the Web. Combined with Snow Leopard, which accounted for 2.23 percent of usage, Leopard, which took 0.65 percent, the total collective share of OS X was 6.51 percent, besting the 6.15 percent held by Windows Vista.

Also on the list is Apple's OS X 10.4 Tiger, which first launched in April of 2005. It represented 0.15 percent of operating systems seen online.

Apple's share of devices is of course much greater when the iPad and iPhone are included. Net Applications found that the iPad accounted for 3.37 percent of Web traffic, while the iPhone was 2.42 percent.

Net Applications


Among other mobile platforms, Google Android 2.3 took 1.02 percent, Android 4.0 had 0.48 percent, Android 2.2 accounted for 0.21 percent, BlackBerry was 0.18 percent, and Apple's iPod took 0.16 percent. The smallest share listed by Net Applications was Amazon's Kindle Fire, which accounted for 0.04 percent of devices.

At the top of the list and besting Windows XP for the first time was Microsoft's Windows 7, with a 38.54 percent share that put it ahead of the 38.46 percent held by Windows XP. Also on the list was Windows 8, Microsoft's forthcoming operating system upgrade, which was found to be in testing by 0.21 percent of PC users.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 100
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    So we're measuring all of Apple's desktop OSes against a single version of desktop Windows that was never a great seller and finally dropped to a point to be lower than Mac OS X because Win 7 is more popular? I'm not seeing the relevance in comparing it to Mac OS X. Vista is crap regardless if it's installed base is higher or lower than all of Mac OS X.
  • Reply 2 of 100
    mauszmausz Posts: 243member


    Although the title is textually correct, I would say Vista lost share to "pass" OS-X ?


     


    The main point of this news in other media was that Windows 7 finally passed Windows XP.

  • Reply 3 of 100


    We're measuring an OS that runs only on a closed, unlicensed platform for which the entry fee is typically $1000, vs. a universally-licensed OS that runs on every PC under under the sun, from the good, to the bad, to the downright ugly, at all price points.


     


    OS X market share and Windows market share are completely different measures, with completely different forces driving them. One is driven by consumer satisfaction and ability to pay for a certain level of User Experience. The other is driven by market flooding via universal licensing. 


     


    Where the rubber meets the road, 8 years running:


     


    http://www.macrumors.com/2011/09/20/apple-tops-u-s-pc-customer-satisfaction-survey-for-eighth-consecutive-time/


     



     




    http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20108336-17/apple-tops-in-customer-satisfaction-for-8th-year/


     


     


    Apple tops in customer satisfaction for 8th year


    Once again, the company ranks first among PC makers, receiving a score of 87 out of 100 in the American Customer Satisfaction Index. HP follows in second place.


     


    by Don Reisinger   September 19, 2011 9:02 PM PDT 


    Macs reign supreme in ACSI's 2011 customer satisfaction study.


     


    For the eighth year in a row, Apple's Macs have satisfied more customers than any other vendor's PCs.


    The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), which analyzes consumer feelings toward consumer electronics and appliances, among many other products, said today that Apple's Macs received a score of 87 on the index's 100-point scale measuring customer satisfaction regarding computers. The company's satisfaction score is up 1 percentage point compared to last year's tally, and up 18 percentage points from its low in 1998. What's more, Apple's 87 is the highest mark the company has received since 1995.


     


    "In the eight years that Apple has led the PC industry in customer satisfaction, its stock price has increased by 2,300 percent," Claes Fornell, founder of the ACSI, said in a statement. "Apple's winning combination of innovation and product diversification--including spinning off technologies into entirely new directions--has kept the company consistently at the leading edge."


     


    The ACSI's scale is a comprehensive evaluation of customer satisfaction. According to the company, it conducts about 70,000 interviews with customers each year to determine how they feel on a host of variables, including "perceived quality," "customer expectations," and "perceived value." The company also looks at customer loyalty and complaints. The index, produced by ACSI, was founded at the University of Michigan's business school.


     


     


     



  • Reply 4 of 100
    richlrichl Posts: 2,213member


    Wow, Windows XP just won't die, will it?


     


    39% of web traffic generated from a operating system that's over 10 years old.

  • Reply 5 of 100
    mauszmausz Posts: 243member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by RichL View Post


    Wow, Windows XP just won't die, will it?


     


    39% of web traffic generated from a operating system that's over 10 years old.



     


    Quite an accomplishment...


     


    You can be free (linux) but still people stay with XP


     


    You can be a successor (vista/7) but people stay with XP


     


    You can be presumably better (OS-X) but people stay with XP.


     


    Is it that good ? :)

  • Reply 6 of 100


    I would say that xp is still ahead, I'm sure there are a lot of xp computers still being used and not connected to the internet.

  • Reply 7 of 100


    Windows XP is not good per se, it is what they know, and some users dont' want to upgrade. I am sure  a lot would even switch to OSX, but are afraid to jump ship...

  • Reply 8 of 100
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by mausz View Post


     


    Quite an accomplishment...


     


    You can be free (linux) but still people stay with XP


     


    You can be a successor (vista/7) but people stay with XP


     


    You can be presumably better (OS-X) but people stay with XP.


     


    Is it that good ? :)



     


    The Windows users I know personally never upgrade the operating system. They take what was installed on their machine when it was purchased and use it until they have to buy another machine. I work for AT&T and my company issued laptop is XP. Windows 7 is just now beginning to show up. Add this to the "post PC era" where desktop and laptop sales are slowing in favor of mobile devices and you see why XP is still around. No, it's not that good.

  • Reply 9 of 100
    solipsismx wrote: »
    So we're measuring all of Apple's desktop OSes against a single version of desktop Windows that was never a great seller and finally dropped to a point to be lower than Mac OS X because Win 7 is more popular? I'm not seeing the relevance in comparing it to Mac OS X. Vista is crap regardless if it's installed base is higher or lower than all of Mac OS X.

    I'm confused as to why this is a story... :???:
  • Reply 10 of 100

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by mausz View Post


     


    Is it that good ? :)



     


    In many respects, it is.  It got (and still gets) the job done, it has broad hardware support, and it just works.  Security issues aside, for most people and many companies, it's just not worth the hassle of upgrading yet.  



    And just to reiterate what an earlier poster said, the article is a bit absurd in that it's comparing all versions of one OS to an unpopular and relatively short lived single version of another OS.  It's no different from saying Android phones far FAR surpass the number of iPhone 3G's in use today.  It's not wrong, but it proves nothing.

  • Reply 11 of 100


    I agree with Mark. XP is what people know. Many major businesses have not migrated off XP yet either. Businesses are just started to get comfortable enough to start to migrate off of XP to Windows 7. Vista was so poor it really hurt the business upgrade market. As much as I like Mac, it will not ever gain much market share. iOS has already outpaced OSX and this will continue. Apple is trying to converge OSX and iOS now but that still won't help OSX market share much. I'm a Mac user and recommend to everyone I know but I still think the market will remain small. 

  • Reply 12 of 100


    Satisfaction is in the eye of the beholder...and considering where most of apple revenue comes from(IPHONE), i wouldnt just assume because you like it, or a survey says something that its true..Hell if that was the case then Verizon would be loved and be a customer friendly company and not try to get every cent from us. Comparing all iOS to a windows version isnt fair and makes the site seem more biased and diluted then what would already be assumed by a fan site....what a waste of an article.

  • Reply 13 of 100

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by mausz View Post


     


    Quite an accomplishment...


     


    You can be free (linux) but still people stay with XP


     


    You can be a successor (vista/7) but people stay with XP


     


    You can be presumably better (OS-X) but people stay with XP.


     


    Is it that good ? :)



     


     


    No, it isn't. It's that Microsoft's successor operating systems were so BAD (Vista), and Windows 7 has not been in the market long enough (and has not offered businesses enough) to switch over.


     


    The Enterprise sector (responsible for a huge chunk of Windows share) is anything but cutting edge, and it moves at a glacial pace. Most IT departments have budgetary concerns, and look to get the most from the cheapest possible infrastructure. User Experience is typically NOT a concern. 


     


     


     


     


     


    Quote:


    Quote:


    Originally Posted by mausz View Post


     


     


    You can be presumably better (OS-X) but people stay with XP.


     


     




     


     


    Not everyone can afford to play in the Apple ecosystem. Additionally, OS X isn't licensed to OEMs. 


     


    Further reading:


     


    http://forums.appleinsider.com/t/152278/apples-os-x-passes-windows-vista-in-worldwide-usage#post_2181219


     


    NOTE:


     


    You really should read at least *some* of the posts already in a thread before adding your own. 

  • Reply 14 of 100
    galleygalley Posts: 971member
    We just upgraded to Windows 7 at work. Except for a couple useful features, I'd rather stick with XP.
  • Reply 15 of 100
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member


    Flawed article.

  • Reply 16 of 100


    Most telling to me isn't the simple (and mostly unimportant) statistic that OSX surpassed Windows Vista usage… that's a rather bland point...


     


    More astonishing to me is how far overall Windows usage has fallen in the past few years. If I did my math right, and based on the numbers in the chart, WIndows has fallen to roughly 82% overall? (Including Win 7, 8, XP and Vista combined.)


     


    That's a precipitous drop from the 95% dominance of the previous decade...


     


    It doesn't matter as much that OSX is UP to nearly 7% globally… it's that Windows is DOWN to roughly 82% globally. That's bigger news to me...

  • Reply 17 of 100
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,309moderator
    <vc><strong>Total Web usage of Apple's OS X operating system has exceeded Microsoft's Windows Vista, while for the first time, Windows 7 has topped Windows XP to become the world's largest operating system.</strong>

    Also 2.29% + 2.23% + 1.34% + 0.65% + 0.15% = 6.66% overall Mac share.

    The price of the first Mac was $666.66. That's as good a sign as you get.

    I think OS X surpassing Vista is significant in that it shows how much of a disaster that major OS release was - some people still try to claim it wasn't. Beyond that, not very important.

    There are more significant stats like how the iPhone still surpasses all Android devices despite Android apparently massively outselling them (or outshipping them at least) and also iPads being used online almost as much as all Macs. It makes sense now that there are probably more iPads out there than Macs. The mobile browser share heavily favours Apple too:

    http://www.netmarketshare.com/browser-market-share.aspx?qprid=0&qpcustomd=1

    Apple's combined products are about 12% vs Microsoft's 82%. When you consider that Apple is up against so many manufacturers, that's a pretty good share.
  • Reply 18 of 100
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    <vc><strong>Total Web usage of Apple's OS X operating system has exceeded Microsoft's Windows Vista, while for the first time, Windows 7 has topped Windows XP to become the world's largest operating system.</strong>
    The <a href="http://www.netmarketshare.com/operating-system-market-share.aspx?qprid=11&qpcustomb=0">latest monthly data</a> of desktop operating shares from Net Applications shows that Microsoft's Windows Vista fell in August to 6.15 percent of tracked Web usage. Meanwhile, Apple's latest operating system, OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, grew to 1.34 percent of all tracked Web usage.
    Apple's most popular Mac operating system remains OS X 10.7 Lion, which represents 2.29 percent of computers tracked on the Web. Combined with Snow Leopard, which accounted for 2.23 percent of usage, Leopard, which took 0.65 percent, the total collective share of OS X was 6.51 percent, besting the 6.15 percent held by Windows Vista..

    In related news, Mac OS X outsold Windows 95 and Windows 3.1 combined last year. /s

    Do I get a headline, too?
  • Reply 19 of 100

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by tribalogical View Post


    Most telling to me isn't the simple (and mostly unimportant) statistic that OSX surpassed Windows Vista usage… that's a rather bland point...


     


    More astonishing to me is how far overall Windows usage has fallen in the past few years. If I did my math right, and based on the numbers in the chart, WIndows has fallen to roughly 82% overall? (Including Win 7, 8, XP and Vista combined.)


     


    That's a precipitous drop from the 95% dominance of the previous decade...


     


    It doesn't matter as much that OSX is UP to nearly 7% globally… it's that Windows is DOWN to roughly 82% globally. That's bigger news to me...



     


    Excellent point. 


     


    Maybe *that* (and other "fallen" areas) is why Microsoft felt the need to announce the following:


     


    http://forums.appleinsider.com/t/151197/steve-ballmer-says-microsoft-plans-to-compete-with-apple-in-every-market


     


    How times have changed . . .

  • Reply 20 of 100

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Marvin View Post





    Also 2.29% + 2.23% + 1.34% + 0.65% + 0.15% = 6.66% overall Mac share.

    The price of the first Mac was $666.66. That's as good a sign as you get.


     


    Well done.  ;)

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