Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile
  3. News

Windows no longer reigns supreme — Android is currently the most popular OS

By

ubuntu
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Move over, Windows. It’s now Android that has grasped the crown. As per a new report from StatCounter, the independent web analytics company, Android became the most popular operating system in the world when it came to total internet usage across desktop, laptop, tablet, and mobile combined in March. This marks the first time that Android has bested Microsoft Windows in this metric.

With a 37.93-percent market share, Android just eked out Windows, which still saw an impressive 37.91 percent of usage. Still, it’s a notable event. “This is a milestone in technology history and the end of an era,” commented Aodhan Cullen, CEO of StatCounter. “It marks the end of Microsoft’s leadership worldwide of the OS market, which it has held since the 1980s. It also represents a major breakthrough for Android which held just 2.4 percent of global internet usage share only five years ago.”

Recommended Videos

So what gave? According to Cullen, it seems likely that the influx of smartphones and their internet capabilities helped catapult Android ahead. After all, Android is the undisputed leader in terms of mobile platforms. Moreover, traditional PCs (many of which run Windows) saw a decline in sales, though it’s worth pointing out that Windows is still the obvious leader when it comes to the worldwide operating system desktop market (PC and laptop) — it claimed an 84-percent internet usage share in March.

Certain regions of the world also contributed to Android’s victory last month — for example, while Windows was the most popular OS across all platforms in North America and Europe, the story was very different in Asia, where Android won a 52.2-percent market share, compared to just 29.2 percent for Windows.

“Windows won the desktop war but the battlefield moved on,” concluded Cullen. “It will be difficult for Microsoft to make inroads in mobile but the next paradigm shift might give it the opportunity to regain dominance. That could be in Augmented Reality, AI, Voice, or Continuum (a product that aims to replace a desktop and smartphone with a single Microsoft-powered phone).”

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Lulu Chang
Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
One of 2023’s most interesting Android phones just dropped
Realme GT5 Pro in ornage.

Not too long ago, the Google Pixel 4 arrived on the scene packing a Soli radar system that allowed Motion Sense. It enabled you to snooze alarms, mute calls, control music playback, and more — all by waving your hand over the screen. LG attempted something similar called Air Motion on the LG G8 ThinQ using an array consisting of a time-of-flight (ToF) camera and an infrared sensor.

It was cool to see, but hit-or-miss in real life. Unfortunately, the idea died. Google never put the Soli system on another Pixel phone, and LG shuttered its entire phone division. But apparently, the fascination for controlling a phone with touchless hand gestures lives on.

Read more
Samsung just killed one of its most important Android phones
Galaxy Fold open.

Today marks a milestone in the era of foldable smartphones as Samsung officially puts its legendary first-generation Galaxy Fold out to pasture.

After four years on the market, the original Galaxy Fold will no longer receive regular security updates. To be fair, the first Fold was already living on borrowed time, as it was left out of last year’s Android 13 update. However, when Samsung launched the expensive foldable, it promised a full four years of security updates for the device.

Read more
I’m a Windows power user — here are the shortcuts I use the most
Keyboard on the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i.

Windows 11 is chock-full of shortcuts that can help you work more efficiently and effectively. Some of them are unique to Windows, and some are common to most operating systems. But if you're a Windows user, then you'll want to keep each of these in mind.

There are too many shortcuts to cover, so I'm focusing on the ones that I use the most. I'm a writer who uses a variety of systems to get my work done, so my favorite shortcuts are specific to what I do the most. You may come across some other shortcuts that are more relevant to your workflow, but these are the ones I reach for constantly.
The basics

Read more