Microsoft’s Windows is the most widely used computer operating system in the world, accounting for ** percent share of the desktop, tablet, and console OS market in March 2025. Apple’s macOS ranks as the next most widely used operating system, while its iOS mobile operating system, the standard installation on all iPad devices, ranks fourth. Linux OS versions serve as the primary option for users who prefer open-source software and intend to avoid the influence of major OS developers. Operating Systems Operating systems serve as the underlying platforms which connect computer hardware and software. They provide users with the graphical interface through which they issue commands and perform tasks on electronic devices. Billions of people make use of these devices and their operating systems on a regular basis, meaning that the companies that develop these widely used technologies have a great deal of influence on the daily lives of internet users around the world. Although Microsoft Windows is the clear leader in terms of desktop operating systems, the company’s mobile device operating system failed to make a successful transition into the smartphone market, where Android and iOS are essentially the only two options.

Microsoft's Windows was the dominant desktop operating system (OS) worldwide as of March 2025, with a market share of around ** percent. Apple’s Mac operating system has gained market share over the years, growing to command around a fifth of the market. Linux and Google's Chrome OS have retained small but stable market shares in recent years. Different versions of Microsoft Windows From its initial release in 1985, Microsoft Windows has gone through endless mutations. Notable versions include Windows 95, Windows XP, and Windows 7. Windows 11 is the newest addition to the family, being able to run on PCs, tablets and embedded devices. In 2022, approximately ** million PCs were shipped with Windows operating systems installed. Apple’s Mac operating system With an equally long history, Apple’s Mac operating system (macOS, previously Mac OS X and OS X) has also evolved through numerous releases. MacOS Ventura is the nineteenth release of macOS. A older version of macOS, Catalina, is currently the most popular macOS, now run on **** percent of Apple computers as of January 2023. macOS runs on Apple’s Mac computers, including the MacBook, which is Apple’s laptop PC product including the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, and the iMac – Apple’s desktop computer.

Android was the unquestioned leader of the mobile operating system (mobile OS) market in 2018, with ** percent of all devices sold running the Android system. Mobile OS ecosystem Smartphone operating systems, often referred to as smartphone OS, are operating systems that operate smartphones, PDAs, tablets and other mobile devices. An operating system allows these devices to run applications and programs, therefore, bringing advanced functions to mobile devices that were previously restricted to desktop computers. The now-discontinued OS Symbian was the first popular smartphone operating system in the world. With the launch of Ericsson‘s R380 in 2000, Symbian became the first modern mobile OS on a smartphone. By 2009, Symbian accounted for nearly half of the global smartphone operating systems market, while RIM/Blackberry, also a pioneer in this market, held around ** percent of the share. Despite the early start, both Symbian and RIM have been almost driven out of the market as new operating systems were released. Apple introduced its first iPhone model to the consumer market in 2007, revolutionizing the market. Prior to the launch of Apple’s iPhone in 2007, smartphones were a rather niche product and had not yet attained mass appeal. As of 2020, Apple's iPhone held the third largest smartphone market share. Since 2011, Apple’s iOS market share has varied between ** and ** percent.

Apple's iOS continues to hold the largest share of the smartphone operating systems market in the United States, claiming more than **** of the market in 2024. Apple's share of the U.S. market has remained stable since 2018, when it accounted for around ** percent. This is reflected in all markets, with Apple's global share remaining stable year-on-year. Apple growing at home Under CEO Tim Cook, Apple has continued to follow a stunning growth trajectory. Apple became the first U.S. company with a market capitalization exceeding two trillion dollars, just two years on from becoming the first trillion-dollar company. The iPhone, responsible for much of the company’s growth, has cemented its status as the smartphone of choice for many Americans during recent quarters. Google's Android operating system is a close competitor in the U.S. OS market, accounting for around ** percent of the market as of **********. However, Apple commands a far wider lead in the U.S. smartphone manufacturer market, with the Android user base split between various vendors such as Samsung and Motorola. Apple’s popularity across markets Apple has seen success with the iPhone in developed markets across the globe. iPhones accounted for **** of the **** most-sold handsets in the United Kingdom as of ************, and four of the leading five in Germany. Yet, the high price of Apple devices puts Apple at a disadvantage outside of wealthier markets. In Africa, iOS accounted for around ** percent of the mobile OS market in *************, while Android dominated with an ** percent share.

The statistic shows share of smartphone shipments worldwide by operating system from 2009 to 2017. In 2017, **** percent of all smartphones sold had Android as its operating system.

Smartphone operating systems market - additional information

The operating system, also known as an OS, transmits user commands to all other programs and applications. It also controls the peripheral devices, such as printers or cameras. A mobile OS operates on hand-held devices, such as mobile phones, smartphones, tablets or smart watches. While OS themselves are usually available for free and are already installed on the device, the additional programs and apps are tailored specifically for each system.

As of 2014, the main players on the smartphone OS market are Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS. Other smartphone operating systems on the market include Microsoft’s Windows Phone and Blackberry’s RIM to a lesser extent. Symbian, which was used extensively on mobile phones and early generations of smartphones by leading manufacturers, such as Samsung, LG, Motorola and most notably Nokia, was a dominant player on the market in 2009 and 2010. Due to the growing popularity of Android, which most major smartphone manufacturers adopted as their OS of choice, and Nokia’s partnership with Windows Phone, which began in 2011, Symbian was effectively pushed off the market in 2014.

Google’s Android leads the global market with an ** percent market share, while Apple’s iOS is second, with ** percent. There are stark differences between regional markets; in the United States for example, the market is almost equally divided between Android and iOS.

iOS and Android, Apple's and Google's respective operating systems, were the mobile OS market leaders in the United States in recent years, making up almost 100 percent of the market. The market share of both iOS and Android has remained relatively constant over the past 12 months at or around ** percent and ** percent, respectively.

In 2023, Android held a nearly ** percent share of the global smartphone OS market. Android's smartphone sales has been decreasing gradually since 2019, when it held a staggering ** percent of the market, due to Apple's smartphones' increasing share. Why is Google’s Android OS dominating the market? One reason for Android’s large market share is that it is an open-source platform, allowing mobile phone manufacturers to use and adapt the operating system for their own devices. Samsung, who run their own customized version of the Android operating system, currently have the largest share of global smartphone sales by vendor. In contrast, Apple’s iOS software is a closed-source platform, meaning they can control the user experience and make it available exclusively on their mobile devices, including the iPhone and iPad. This model has also proved profitable: Apple generated 69.7 billion U.S. dollars in revenue from iPhone sales alone in the first quarter of 2024. Changing trends in mobile OS market Android and iOS are the leading mobile operating systems today, but back in 2009 the market was much different with Symbian and RIM (Research In Motion) holding close to ** percent of the sales market share. Symbian operated on Nokia, Samsung, and Sony Ericsson devices, while RIM only functioned on BlackBerry smartphones. Both developers were slow to anticipate the changes within the mobile operating systems’ market and were ultimately left behind by the innovative approach of Apple and Google.

Android maintained its position as the leading mobile operating system worldwide in the first quarter of 2025 with a market share of about ***** percent. Android's closest rival, Apple's iOS, had a market share of approximately ***** percent during the same period. The leading mobile operating systems Both unveiled in 2007, Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS have evolved through incremental updates introducing new features and capabilities. The latest version of iOS, iOS 18, was released in September 2024, while the most recent Android iteration, Android 15, was made available in September 2023. A key difference between the two systems concerns hardware - iOS is only available on Apple devices, whereas Android ships with devices from a range of manufacturers such as Samsung, Google and OnePlus. In addition, Apple has had far greater success in bringing its users up to date. As of February 2024, ** percent of iOS users had iOS 17 installed, while in the same month only ** percent of Android users ran the latest version. The rise of the smartphone From around 2010, the touchscreen smartphone revolution had a major impact on sales of basic feature phones, as the sales of smartphones increased from *** million units in 2008 to **** billion units in 2023. In 2020, smartphone sales decreased to **** billion units due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Apple, Samsung, and lately also Xiaomi, were the big winners in this shift towards smartphones, with BlackBerry and Nokia among those unable to capitalize.

Microsoft's Windows was the leading computer operating system in the United States as of January 2025, with a market share of roughly ** percent. Apple's macOS commanded a market share of over ** percent, a decline compared to the previous year.

Windows 10 is the most popular Windows desktop operating system, accounting for a market share of around ** percent as of March 2025. The share of devices running the older Windows 7 OS has slipped over the past year, with the newer Windows ** running on around ** percent of devices. A global dominance in computer operating systems Microsoft’s Windows is the most widely used computer (desktop, tablet, and console) operating system (OS) in the world with more than ** percent of the market share. It's closest competitors — Apple's macOS and iOS — hold a combined less than ** percent of the market. Despite its dominance in the computer OS market, Microsoft has been unable to have the same impact on the mobile OS market, where Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS split the market with a combined share of over ** percent. Operating systems   Operating systems are the underlying platforms connecting computer hardware and software. They provide users with the graphical interface that enables them to issue commands and perform tasks on electronic devices. Almost every device today — from smartphones and desktop computers, to graphical calculators — requires an operating system to function.

This statistic shows the market share held by the leading smartphone operating systems in Mexico from 2013 to 2018, by month. In December 2018, the Android operating system had a market share of **** percent in Mexico.

Smartphone OS market share in Mexico - additional information

The Android Operating System has seen its market share steadily rise in Mexico throughout, with the company finishing 2016 controlling over ** percent of the market. These figures are consistent with recent worldwide trends in which Android has asserted its dominance in the market. The Google-backed company is predicted to hold almost ** percent share of the global smartphone market by 2016, in stark contrast to the *** percent share it had in 2009.

Despite the fact that Blackberry has struggled in the global markets in recent years, it has persisted in the Mexican market with less than one percent of the market since the beginning of 2016. In contrast, Apple’s iOS has achieved limited success in Mexico in comparison to its popularity in the rest of the world. At the end of 2016, the Apple operating system held *** percent of the market share in Mexico, which is significantly lower than the **** percent market share it enjoyed globally.

The mobile phone industry in general has grown in Mexico since 2009. An estimated 70 percent of the population, are forecast to use a mobile phone by 2017, this is the equivalent of around 86 million people. Of these mobile users in Mexico, **** percent are predicted to own a smartphone by 2017, in comparison to just **** percent of all mobile users in 2013. This means that **** million people are expected to be smartphone users in Mexico by 2017.

In 2023, Windows was the leading desktop operating system in Italy with a ** percent share of the market. Window's market share has, however, decreased since the start of the given period in 2010 when they obtained ***** percent of the market.

PC market in Italy

As a result of the events of the past years, the revenue of the PC market in Italy fluctuated. By 2024, it is forecast to reach under **** billion euros. Naturally, the share of personal computer users in Italy also increased, going from **** percent in 2019 to **** in 2022. Most of them were aged between 20 and 24 years old and were university or Ph.D. students.

Italian tablet market

Despite their initial popularity, tablet market revenue is expected to fall in the next years. For instance, in 2028, such revenue is expected to amount to around *** million U.S. dollars, down from over *** million U.S. dollars in 2016. Tablet users in Italy mostly owned Apple and Samsung tablets, with Samsung occupying over ** percent of the tablet vendor market with Android being the most used tablet operating system.

Android was the leading tablet operating system (OS) in Germany in the fourth quarter of 2024, with a market share of around ** percent. Apples' iOS was once the dominant tablet operating system, having been installed on over ***** quarters of tablets in Germany in 2013, though it saw its market share shrink over the past decade.

In Brazil, in 2023, approximately ** percent of desktop devices operated on Windows, and the remaining were shared between OS X (*** percent) and Linux (*** percent). Apple ranked second also in the mobile device operating system market, where it held a significantly lower market share compared to Android.

Since overtaking iOS in 2013 to become Europe’s most popular mobile operating system, Android has managed to increase its share of the market in each of the following years. As of 2023, Android was the operating system for about ** percent of European mobile phones. OS market share reflects diversity of android devices The Android operating system has a distinct advantage in terms of gaining market share, purely based on the number of manufacturers creating devices that run on Android. iOS, on the other hand, is only used by Apple devices. Looking at the market share held by individual devices gives a clearer impression of the state of play between the major manufacturers. In the second quarter of 2018, the combined European market share of Apple devices stood at ** percent, while the Android's market share was ** percent. Market shares in the United Kingdom   The market share iOS holds in the United Kingdom is higher than at the European level, sitting at ***** percent. Apple devices were the two most popular devices sold in the United Kingdom during April 2021, with the iPhone 12 Pro and the iPhone 12 Pro Max making up a combined ** percent of smartphones sold during that month.

In March 2024, devices running on ** version of the Android OS accounted for nearly ** percent of all web traffic generated by Android OS devices in Mexico, making the version the most popular in the country. It was followed by the ** version of Android OS, totaling a market share worth over ** percent.

In 2013, iOS was the leading tablet operating system in Europe, dominating over ** percent of the market. In the last decade, iOS has seen its market share reduced to half, while Android has grown in popularity. As of the second quarter of 2024, the market was roughly evenly split between Android and iOS, with Android dominating about ***** percent of the market.

As of June 2024, iOS had around **** percent of the market share of mobile operating systems in the United Kingdom (UK), while Android led with roughly ** percent of the market.The penetration rate of smartphones and the number of smartphone users has been growing for quite some time, and Apple and Android have been dominating the smartphone market since the beginning. However, the smartphone penetration growth rate has been in decline the past few years.It seems most consumer purchase a new smartphone because their old device is out of date. In this case, it would depend on how often the smartphone manufacturers bring out with a new model to figure out how often consumer may purchase a new smartphone.

The Android operating system (OS) was installed on around ** percent of tablet devices in Spain in the first quarter of 2024, making it the leading tablet OS. Apple's iOS was once the dominant tablet operating system in Spain, but saw its market share shrink over the past decade.

As of December 2023, Windows was ranked first among the leading desktop operating systems in Norway, with just over ** percent of the market share while Apple's OS X ranked second with over ** percent of the market share.