In December 2024, over 91 percent of Polish PC users were running the Windows operating system, a decrease compared to the previous year.

Microsoft's Windows was the dominant desktop operating system (OS) worldwide as of March 2025, with a market share of around 72 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 65 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. The most recent version, macOS Ventura, is the nineteenth release of macOS. A older version of macOS, Catalina, is currently the most popular macOS, now run on 87.4 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.

Microsoft’s Windows is the most widely used computer operating system in the world, accounting for 67 percent share of the desktop, tablet, and console OS market in August 2024. 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.

Windows 10 is the most popular Windows desktop operating system, accounting for a market share of around 54 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 43 running on around 31 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 68 percent of the market share. It's closest competitors — Apple's macOS and iOS — hold a combined less than 20 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 99 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.

Android was the unquestioned leader of the mobile operating system (mobile OS) market in 2018, with 88 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 20 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 14 and 21 percent.

In December 2024, nearly 80 percent of Polish mobile phone users in Poland stated that their devices ran on an Android operating system.

Between 2018 and 2024, Apple has released various versions of their Mac operating system. In the second quarter of 2024, macOS Catalina was the most popular version in Italy, occupying almost 85 percent of the Italian desktop PC OS market.

Most software developers worldwide report the use of Windows operating system as their preferred development environment, as of 2021. Apple’s macOS was the second preferred operating system, followed by Linux. What is software development?   Software development refers to the process of creating, designing, and supporting software. It includes all the computer activities involved between the conception to the final manifestation of software. These activities are usually planned and put into stages in a logical order called the software development life cycle (SDLC). The software industry is an integral part of the IT market as the creative engine of the ever-involving market, and tech companies spend relentlessly on the development of new software products and the improvement of current ones. As such, software developers are well paid for their work. Programming languages & salary   The increasing demand for software developers is set to see their total population increase from over 20 million in 2018 to close to 29 million in 2024. Among a good deal of different programming language options, JavaScript is the most widely used programming language by software developers worldwide. Languages such as Erlang, however, which brings in the highest wages with averages of over 100,000 U.S. dollars per year as opposed to the 60,000 U.S. dollars earned on average by Java developers.

Google's Android and Apple's iOS are the major competitors in the mobile operating system market in North America. In November 2024, Android accounted for about 56 percent of the mobile OS market, while iOS accounted for around 44 percent. Just 0.2 percent of North American users were running a system other than Android or iOS

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 65 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 32 percent, while the Android's market share was 67 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 54.45 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 26 percent of smartphones sold during that month.

As of March 2025, the Apple iOS 18 represented the majority of Apple devices globally, holding a combined 68.7 percent of all Apple mobile devices globally. Apple's iOS 17 trailed in the second place with around 12.92 percent of Apple mobile devices worldwide. Overall, the statistic indicates that the significant changes in iOS version market shares usually take place around the Apple Event each September when the company unveils its latest iPhone.

Since Apple's macOS Catalina (10.15) was released in October 2019, it did not take long until it became the most used version of macOS. As of March 2025, macOS Catalina commanded a staggering 94 percent market share of all Apple computers worldwide.

In the second quarter of 2024, Apple iOS was one of the main mobile operating systems in Italy. In that quarter, iOS 17.4 was the most popular version of the operating system, occupying over 42 percent of the mobile OS market in the country.  Apple and Samsung at the top of the Italian smartphone market As one of the main segments of the consumer electronics industry in Italy, the smartphone market was forecast to generate a revenue of just under ten billion U.S. dollars in 2024. Apple and Samsung are the leaders of the Italian smartphone market, controlling almost 32 and 30 percent of the market in 2023, respectively. Meanwhile, other vendors have been acquiring larger shares of the industry, including Huawei and Oppo, catering to the needs of an ever-growing number of smartphone users.

Android is the leading mobile OS What makes our smartphones so fast, advanced, and powerful? Their operating systems, namely, the software on which the devices rely that allow users to perform all sorts of actions, including navigating the web and listening to music. Over the decades, Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS have established themselves as the leading mobile operating systems worldwide. Android being an open-source platform, many smartphone vendors have adopted it as their operating system, whereas iOS only works on Apple iPhones. As a result, Android holds a much larger share of the global mobile OS market, over 70 percent, leaving iOS far behind.

The most used operating system by smartwatches worldwide is Apple’s watchOS, which is exclusively installed on the Apple Watch. The operating system held a 16.2 percent share of the overall wearables market in 2018 and this share is expected to grow by a further one percent over the coming years.

The big Apple

The Apple Watch is exclusively installed with watchOS: an operating system based on the iOS mobile operating system for the iPhone. The two systems share many similar features and as a result the choice of smartwatch for iPhone users is simple: Apple Watch. The fifth generation of the Apple Watch was released in September 2019 and comes pre-installed with watchOS 6. The new software enhances the Siri virtual assistant and introduces a new app to improve hearing health. Apple will hope sales of its smartwatch continue to increase revenue within its wearables, home, and accessories division.

The best of the rest in the OS market

Samsung have increased their share of shipments in the smartwatch market and look set to be the biggest competitor to Apple. Their smartwatches run using the operating system Tizen, which is compatible with Android smartphones and also pairs with Apple iPhones. Google’s Android OS dominates the global smartphone operating systems market, but its share of the smartwatch market is significantly smaller. Released as Android Wear in 2014, Google rebranded the software to Wear OS in 2018 to highlight the software’s ability to work with both Android and Apple smartphones. The operating system is currently running on smartwatches developed by companies including Fossil, Skagen, and Mobvoi.

As of September 2024, Android held a share of over 87 percent of the mobile operating system market in Indonesia. Over the past decade, Google has kept its leading market position. Mobile phone market in IndonesiaIndonesia booked as one of the fastest growth of the global top-ten smartphone markets worldwide. While ranked as the fourth-largest market in the world, Indonesia offers potential for growth because of a young population and increasing mobile internet penetration. Additionally, stabilization of the Indonesian rupiah against the U.S. dollar strengthened overseas vendors' investment confidence in the country. Major mobile phone brandsSmartphone giants Oppo, Samsung, and Xiaomi dominate the current market. Both Oppo and Samsung retain the largest market share, at over 35 percent combined. While these brands continuously offer a diverse range of smartphone models with advanced technologies, the adoption of 5G devices lags behind 4G due to limited 5G connectivity in the country. This may lead to cautious approach on 5G investments, but it is expected that 5G phone adoption will slowly increase along with the infrastructure development.

In the first quarter of 2024, smartphones running on Android OS accounted for over 77 percent of the traffic generated by smartphones in Mexico, making the operating system the most popular in the North American country. iOS ranked second with a traffic share of around 22.7 percent.

In March 2025, the Android smartphone operating system had a market share of over 77 percent in China. In contrast, its biggest rival, the Apple iOS had a market share of around 22 percent. The Chinese smartphone market is dominated by domestic brands which operate on the Android operating system. The domestic smartphone industry Domestic brands dominate the Chinese smartphone market, making it difficult for foreign manufacturers. While Samsung and Apple are the global industry leaders, only the iPhone can assert its market position as an overseas product in China. The remainder of the market is occupied by Xiaomi, Huawei, Honor, Viva, and Oppo. A truly domestic operating system in the making Despite a large Chinese smartphone industry, domestic manufacturers have not developed a stand-alone mobile operating system — yet. Although all leading brands have developed their proprietary OS, they are still based on the Android system. However, Huawei with its HarmonyOS is the only company that is the closest to a truly independent software. Despite being originally developed on Android, Huawei plans to remove all android code from the microkernel in its Q4 2024 software release.

As of September 2024, the Apple iOS 17 operating system version had a share of nearly 80 percent among all mobile Apple devices in the United States, with the iOS 16 version occupying only nine percent of the Apple mobile market. Overall, this graph indicates that most iPhone users in the United States usually update their firmware version within one or two months of the release of a major iOS version.

Apple's iOS continues to hold the largest share of the smartphone operating systems market in the United States, claiming more than half of the market as of March 2024. Apple's share of the U.S. market has risen steadily since early 2012, when it accounted for around 30 percent. This growth is not reflected in all markets, however, 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 47 percent of the market as of March 2024. 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 four of the five most-sold handsets in the United Kingdom as of January 2024, 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 13 percent of the mobile OS market in November 2023, while Android dominated with an 85 percent share.

Google's Android has been Africa's most widely used mobile platform and accounted for 91.54 percent of the mobile operating system market in Kenya as of November 2024. Apple's iOS was the next most popular operating system in the country, with a market share of about four percent in the same month. Overall, Android OS dominated the mobile OIS market in Kenya since 2018.