Android Rises Above Windows To Become Most Popular OS

Windows has been the dominant operating system for around 30 years, but its position as king of the hill has just been overthrown. Android is the new occupant of that particular throne, which should put its meteoric rise to become the most popular mobile OS into better perspective.

Softpedia cites numbers from StatCounter which show that Android has a 37.93% market share among devices connected to the internet. Windows, on the other hand, sits at 37.91%. As StatCounter CEO Aodhan Cullen told Softpedia, that's particularly impressive when Android was only at 2.4% five years ago.

While this is big news for Android, it isn't entirely surprising. These numbers cover a global scale and include desktops, laptops, tablets, and phones. At a time where desktop and laptop sales seem to be falling in favor of phones and tablets, it makes sense that Android is gaining popularity at the expense of Windows.

Smartphones have removed the need for a computer for some consumers too – those who would only use a PC as something of an internet machine. These days everyone needs a phone, but the trade off is that not everyone needs a computer. When you combine that with Microsoft's lackluster efforts in the mobile space, it really isn't much of a shock to see Android take its place at the top of the heap.

Though Android only leads by .02%, we can probably expect that grow at least a little more in the coming year or two. On the other hand, Microsoft has really been pushing Windows 10 machines, so if it can turn those marketing efforts into sales, perhaps we'll see a Windows comeback? Stay tuned.

SOURCE: Softpedia