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Last updated on March 19th, 2023
A few weeks ago, web analytics company StatCounter released a study that declares Android the most popular operating system in the world. For the first time, Android usage surpassed longtime champ Windows by a very narrow margin.
In March 2017, Android usage was at 37.93%, while Windows usage was at 37.91%:
StatCounter lists a few reasons for this:
- The rapid rise of Android-powered smartphones.
- The growth of smartphone sales in Asia.
- A decline in PC sales.
Of course, Windows is still the desktop OS king, controlling 84% of all computers. The “year of the Linux desktop” is often joked about, but Linux won’t displace Windows on desktops anytime in the foreseeable future. That is, outside of Chromebooks in education and as secondary computers. (The general public isn’t going to download and install a traditional Linux distro, among other factors.)
Meanwhile, TechCrunch notes that there’s more users of iOS than OS X (at least on the internet), keeping with the iPhone being Apple’s main money-maker. ZDNet mentions a few alternate web analytics sources that contest StatCounter’s figures; however, they still agree that Android’s rise/Windows’ decline is ongoing. They also agree that no matter what, desktops and laptops aren’t going away anytime soon.
What operating systems do you use?
