The most popular US end-user operating systems

[lehnerus2000]

Summary: Windows is the number one desktop operating system by a wide margin, but you might be surprised at number two and three.

Surprise! The the federal government's Digital Analytics Program (DAP) has found that Windows is the most popular end-user operating system with 58.4 percent of all government web site visitors. What's more interesting though is what versions of Windows we're using and what's number two and three behind Windows.

ZDNet - Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols
The most popular US end-user operating systems, according to the federal government | ZDNet

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[lehnerus2000]

Ed Bott's Take

Summary:The United States government has given the public access to its massive analytics database, and the results are fascinating. What share does the Mac really have? Is Windows 8.1 a hit or a miss? Who's winning the browser wars? I've dug deep to get the answers.

ZDNet - Ed Bott
Six surprising facts about who's winning the operating system and browser wars in the U.S. | ZDNet

 

[computerboy2063]

I am not too surprised at iOS but I am surprised at android...

 

[ThrashZone]

I liked the sentence

Win-7 is insanely popular

No surprise really it rules

 

[Layback Bear]

The only thing that I noticed is Macintosh % went up a little to the best of my memory and XP % went down.

Windows 7 rules and it should.

 

[Alejandro85]

What I find really crazy about those statistics is the fact that they included Android and iOS in the very same batch as Windows and MacOSX, which are clearly different and unrelated things. Comparing OSs for computers with OSs for phones is comparing oranges to apples, they target different purposes and of course makes no sense to put together.

Other than that, no real surprises, everything is along the lines in the last years.

 

[Jody Thornton]

What I find really crazy about those statistics is the fact that they included Android and iOS in the very same batch as Windows and MacOSX, which are clearly different and unrelated things. Comparing OSs for computers with OSs for phones is comparing oranges to apples, they target different purposes and of course makes no sense to put together.

Other than that, no real surprises, everything is along the lines in the last years.

Actually I would think mobile OS usage is QUITE relevant. A lot of people are replacing PCs with tablets and phones. Many people who ditched XP didn't go to Windows 7, 8 or whatever; they went and bought an iPad or a Galaxy. I'm actually shocked that the mobile OSs don't rate much higher.

 

[jonnyhillow]

Man, Win 8 and 8.1 have atrocious #'s. No wonder MS is pushing so fast for Win 10 lol.

 

[Layback Bear]

Just because people are using a lot of phones and tablets doesn't mean people are running home or work and started throwing desktops and laptops out the windows on to the street.

You are allowed to use and own phones, tablets, laptops and desktop all at the same time.

 

[carwiz]

I wish Microsoft would read those and quit shoving the "Metro Look" down the desktop owners' throats.

 

[whs]

I was also amazed about the relatively low numbers for Android. f you look at the OS and device numbers, you would think there are more users in this statistic.

 

[lehnerus2000]

Tablets are almost non-existant

I'm actually shocked that the mobile OSs don't rate much higher.

The low tablet visit stats must be a shock to tablet "fanboys" (since tablet fanboys claim they are superior to desktops in every way).

ZDNet - Ed Bott
Six surprising facts about who's winning the operating system and browser wars in the U.S. | ZDNet
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I was also amazed about the relatively low numbers for Android. f you look at the OS and device numbers, you would think there are more users in this statistic.

I think that is because the US contains the majority of the World's Apple "fanboys".

 

[RoasterMen]

The father of Windows 7's popularity is going down? Well the people that are still using the legend Windows OS are still on XP's grave and they're just about to leave.

 

[jonnyhillow]

I wish Microsoft would read those and quit shoving the "Metro Look" down the desktop owners' throats.

You would think they would be able to grasp what the #'s show but it doesn't appear to be the case, i also can't stand the metro look .

 

[Alejandro85]

Actually I would think mobile OS usage is QUITE relevant. A lot of people are replacing PCs with tablets and phones. Many people who ditched XP didn't go to Windows 7, 8 or whatever; they went and bought an iPad or a Galaxy. I'm actually shocked that the mobile OSs don't rate much higher.

Really? do you have any serious references for that?
Common sense says that they're not the same thing, tablets and phones aren't simply in par of real, full fledged computers' capabilities, many things are more difficult at tablets, mostly related to working and intensive usage. Tablets fill another niche market, but they're far from being a replacement of computers, much less I refuse to believe that people would ditch a computer for a phone for the same workload.
Having both is certainly fine, using them for complementary purposes is too, but since they fulfill different purposes, I don't think that either can replace the other, not without serious drawbacks.

The numbers are relevant, you're right. But putting them all together is wrong. Windows can be replaced by Linux or MacOSX, not by iOS or Android. In the same sense Android cannot be replaced by Windows (it can be by Windows Phone however).
The correct thing would be to have two tables. One showing OSs for real computers, other for tablets/phones, which are really in a different league.

 

[Jody Thornton]

Actually I would think mobile OS usage is QUITE relevant. A lot of people are replacing PCs with tablets and phones. Many people who ditched XP didn't go to Windows 7, 8 or whatever; they went and bought an iPad or a Galaxy. I'm actually shocked that the mobile OSs don't rate much higher.

Really? do you have any serious references for that?
Common sense says that they're not the same thing, tablets and phones aren't simply in par of real, full fledged computers' capabilities, many things are more difficult at tablets, mostly related to working and intensive usage. Tablets fill another niche market, but they're far from being a replacement of computers, much less I refuse to believe that people would ditch a computer for a phone for the same workload.
Having both is certainly fine, using them for complementary purposes is too, but since they fulfill different purposes, I don't think that either can replace the other, not without serious drawbacks.

The numbers are relevant, you're right. But putting them all together is wrong. Windows can be replaced by Linux or MacOSX, not by iOS or Android. In the same sense Android cannot be replaced by Windows (it can be by Windows Phone however).
The correct thing would be to have two tables. One showing OSs for real computers, other for tablets/phones, which are really in a different league.

No I don't have references for that. It was an anecdotal assessment in terms of who I see around me using mobile devices. And my being shocked that mobile OS use wasn't higher was simply a surprise reaction.

Look, I'm no tablet "fanboy". I don't even have one, and I have a non-smart phone from 2009. I used PCs just like you (in fact I'm on Vista). But if you go to all of the retail shops, and look around everywhere, all you see are mobile devices and OS implementations. You don't need numbers to see that Microsoft Windows is starting to take a back seat. I'm not not arguing that tablets can handle the same workload as desktops. What I'm saying is that many users were previously using a desktop, when all they needed was a tablet or phone to suit their purposes (consumption tasks like browsing, email, shopping, some light note taking, and audio/video uses). That's all they wanted, and now their glad to not lug around a Windows based notebook, or be tied down to a desktop.

Sorry, but when I see all the people that I do using mobile devices, I don't see Windows or desktops as progressive technology. And they can be lumped together, since many of the people using mobile devices formerly used PCs. They hardly complement their use (and no I don't have numbers, but just look around). You have to lump them in if want to see where those who formerly used Windows are now going.

And for those who hate Metro (so do I) but that just solidifies my point that even Microsoft sees how important the mobile device is, and is steering their efforts that way. What more can be done with the desktop to improve is? What new concept is there? How do you draw new customers?

The answer is mobility. Why are we surprised by this? Even Microsoft, who in the end was slow to the game, championed and predicted this a decade ago. They even said there would be "something" after Windows. So here it is emerging before us now.

 

[Jody Thornton]

I was also amazed about the relatively low numbers for Android. f you look at the OS and device numbers, you would think there are more users in this statistic.

I know. Some other users were saying if I had stats to back it up. I didn't, but I was shocked just the same. Who on the street talks about Windows anymore?

I understand that this is a Windows 7 forum, but it's as if some people are hoping that Microsoft will protect Windows 7 for perpetuity. Why would they do that? How would any new market-changing concepts ever emerge from that?

(and remember that in my typing this, I'm also a person that wants to stay with the old. I just don't expect a business will ever fall in line with that)

 

[lehnerus2000]

I wasn't trying to suggest ...

Look, I'm no tablet "fanboy". I don't even have one, and I have a non-smart phone from 2009. I used PCs just like you (in fact I'm on Vista). But if you go to all of the retail shops, and look around everywhere, all you see are mobile devices and OS implementations.

I wasn't trying to suggest you were a tablet "fanboy".

I was referring to the people who always pop-up in the comment sections attached to the "Desktop PC is dead" articles.

The numbers are relevant, you're right. But putting them all together is wrong. Windows can be replaced by Linux or MacOSX, not by iOS or Android. In the same sense Android cannot be replaced by Windows (it can be by Windows Phone however).
The correct thing would be to have two tables. One showing OSs for real computers, other for tablets/phones, which are really in a different league.

In Ed Bott's article, he created a bunch of different tables.

 

[noclueblue]

It's not easy being suddenly a dummy.

 

[Jody Thornton]

I wasn't trying to suggest you were a tablet "fanboy".
I was referring to the people who always pop-up in the comment sections attached to the "Desktop PC is dead" articles.

No worries at all. Just using your phrase to clarify my position. But no offense meant.