Android becomes world's most used OS online, Apple's iOS & macOS trail
Google's Android is now the most popular OS in the world across all hardware platforms, having barely overtaken Microsoft Windows in March, according to Web analytics research published on Monday.
Android managed 37.93 percent versus Windows's 37.91, according to StatCounter. Apple's iOS was a distant third at only 13.09 percent, while macOS/OS X took just 5.17 percent.
Windows marketshare has been on a steady decline since 2012, when it was running on over 80 percent of internet-connected devices. In the same timespan Android has been on the rise, beginning at just 2.4 percent. iOS use has increased, while Mac numbers have fallen slightly.
StatCounter CEO Aodhan Cullen linked the current situation to the growing popularity of smartphones, the decline of desktop and laptop computers, and the importance of the high-population Asian market. Android's fragmentation by version of operating system is not addressed in the metrics.
In North America, Windows retained its lead with a 39.5 percent share, followed by iOS at 25.7 percent, and Android at 21.2 percent. Within Europe, Windows took 51.7 percent, placing Android a distant second at 23.6.
The Asian market was firmly Android territory, with Google's OS hitting 52.2 percent versus Microsoft's 29.2.
In China Apple's iPhone recently slid to fifth place in the battle against local Android-based smartphone brands Huawei, Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi. Those companies are often better able to compete on price, and are increasingly gunning towards the high-end market represented by the iPhone.
Android managed 37.93 percent versus Windows's 37.91, according to StatCounter. Apple's iOS was a distant third at only 13.09 percent, while macOS/OS X took just 5.17 percent.
Windows marketshare has been on a steady decline since 2012, when it was running on over 80 percent of internet-connected devices. In the same timespan Android has been on the rise, beginning at just 2.4 percent. iOS use has increased, while Mac numbers have fallen slightly.
StatCounter CEO Aodhan Cullen linked the current situation to the growing popularity of smartphones, the decline of desktop and laptop computers, and the importance of the high-population Asian market. Android's fragmentation by version of operating system is not addressed in the metrics.
In North America, Windows retained its lead with a 39.5 percent share, followed by iOS at 25.7 percent, and Android at 21.2 percent. Within Europe, Windows took 51.7 percent, placing Android a distant second at 23.6.
The Asian market was firmly Android territory, with Google's OS hitting 52.2 percent versus Microsoft's 29.2.
In China Apple's iPhone recently slid to fifth place in the battle against local Android-based smartphone brands Huawei, Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi. Those companies are often better able to compete on price, and are increasingly gunning towards the high-end market represented by the iPhone.
Comments
REM
But, the laptop hangs on -- and will -- because Apple and Google have yet to offer a viable alternative to the things that it does well (without also dealing with its chain-gang mentality).
... Steve! Wherever you are! Come Back! We need you!
Well it’s all over for Apple. We knew it couldn’t last forever and this proves it. Market share is EVERYTHING after all, no? How can a company with measly market share stay in business anyway? It’s all been an illusion. Michael Dell was right all along those may years ago. I guess I’ll just sulk.
And if either of those issues began raking in revenues for your competitors, it might matter even more.
What nonsense.
- why would apple want to cut prices in half just to increase market share? They're killing it with profit, and that's the air companies breathe. Not market share.
- They use soldered components because they're smaller and faster, which is a feature I enjoy. Not being upgradable is a side effect -- just like how you can't upgrade your phone or tablet. No whining there so why here? Also, Apple is the best eco PC maker in the world rated by Green Peace. Recycling is easy with them, I just sent in my old 2008 MBP.
- You are in no way "forced" (forced!) to buy Apple cables. That's just fucking stupid. The new MBP doesn't even have a single proprietary port on it.
...troll trope nonsense.
And BMW bought Rolls-Royce, and Volkswagen bought Lamborghini because luxury cars are expensive to make, and mass market allows much more volume. Besides the iPhone is not a Rolls, it's a Mercedes. It targets people who are affluent, not billionaires.
Take a finance class and learn about time value or money and doing NPV analysis and you will find an investment in Apple product even at a higher initial cost has much higher value over time than competing products. The issue is the fact most people can not even attempt to make this cost benefit analysis and most companies who make consumer products know this and rather selling you the same cheap product 10 times in the same time period apple only sold you one.
Instead of bedgrudging Samsung and Google for having their piece of the pie, you should be more concerned about this: "while macOS/OS X took just 5.17" and "while Mac numbers have fallen slightly." As Google and Samsung do not compete with Mac OS X - Chrome OS and Samsung being a very minor maker of Windows laptops far behind Lenovo, Dell, HP and even Toshiba notwithstanding - Apple has other problems to worry about. Apple failed to translate and leverage the massive success of their mobile devices, iPod and iPhone as well as the somewhat lesser success of the iPad, into an increased marketshare for other devices or to increase their footholds in other businesses. All the talk 5 or even 3 years ago about how Apple was going to kill off Microsoft and Windows for consumers and even in the enterprise turned out to be precisely that, and Apple is even pulling back, focusing less emphasis on enterprise efforts and selling fewer devices blatantly aimed at tempting Windows users to switch. Add to to that the fact that the Windows PC free fall seems to have stabilized ... things are never going back to the Wintel heyday of the 00s on one hand, but on the other hand it is clear that when people and enterprises need a main or work computing device they are going to get a laptop - as opposed to a smartphone or tablet - and 9 times out of 10 that laptop is going to run Windows as opposed to Mac OS X , just as things were before the iPad boom.
Apple won the mobile wars, but Google and Samsung did a good job for themselves in carving out a very lucrative second place. What needs to be mentioned now is A) Apple failed to parlay their victory in mobile into increased market share anywhere else and