Are you surprised after reading the headline? Well, it all depends on how you perceive the statistics presented by the independent web analytics company StatCounter today. The report published by the company suggests that Google’s Android operating system is now the world’s most popular operating system depending on total internet usage. This data has been compiled based on the usage across desktop, laptop, tablet, and mobile combined.
Calling it a historical achievement, Aodhan Cullen, CEO, StatCounter said,
This is a milestone in technology history and the end of an era. 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% of global internet usage share only five years ago.
The report continues to mention that this is the first time an operating system has reigned over Microsoft’s Windows. The mobile OS, Android, managed to present 37.93 percent of activity on the internet. This is marginally ahead of the 37.91 percent of activity which Windows accounted for in the month of March 2017. It is, however, a minimal bridge that counts in the total internet usage across a cohort of devices — rather than the number of users.
This report, put together using findings via web trackers installed on 2.5 million websites, is not at all surprising but definitely justifies the change in internet usage trend over the years. Mobile phones are currently surpassing the total number of desktops — which is not a hidden fact. Feature-packed smartphones, with powerful network connectivity options, has tempted individuals to make the switch from their bulky desktops to hand-held devices. Thus, they’ve started using their mobile devices to browse the interwebs, which is also evident in the iOS/OS X comparison in the chart above.
Windows could’ve maintained its lead on the market in terms of internet usage, but its mobile-focused strategy failed drastically. The Redmond giant holds a measly 3 percent market share in the smartphone market, which wouldn’t see much internet activity from the users. But, StatCounter believes Microsoft still has a chance to enhance its presence in the market by accelerating its efforts in trend-setting fields like AI, AR and others. Further, adding his views in support for Windows, Cullen said,
Windows won the desktop war but the battlefield moved on. 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).
Also, the report draws out a comparison between a mobile and desktop dominant operating system. Android is known to hold an 80 percent market share in the smartphone market, which definitely contributes to the overall internet usage. The mobile internet usage is especially high in developing (or emerging) nations, where the populace is being introduced to the Internet via their budget mobile devices itself.
India being one these developing nations, with over 300 million internet users. Over 100 million people have now been connected to a high-speed 4G LTE network, courtesy of Reliance Jio’s entry in the market last September. It has provided users with free voice and data services for continuous six months. And it is now offering another three months of free services to its Prime subscription users.
