Apple's OS X passes Windows Vista in worldwide usage

Total Web usage of Apple's OS X operating system has exceeded Microsoft's Windows Vista, while for the first time, Windows 7 has topped Windows XP to become the world's largest operating system.

The latest monthly data of desktop operating shares from Net Applications shows that Microsoft's Windows Vista fell in August to 6.15 percent of tracked Web usage. Meanwhile, Apple's latest operating system, OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, grew to 1.34 percent of all tracked Web usage.

Apple's most popular Mac operating system remains OS X 10.7 Lion, which represents 2.29 percent of computers tracked on the Web. Combined with Snow Leopard, which accounted for 2.23 percent of usage, Leopard, which took 0.65 percent, the total collective share of OS X was 6.51 percent, besting the 6.15 percent held by Windows Vista.

Also on the list is Apple's OS X 10.4 Tiger, which first launched in April of 2005. It represented 0.15 percent of operating systems seen online.

Apple's share of devices is of course much greater when the iPad and iPhone are included. Net Applications found that the iPad accounted for 3.37 percent of Web traffic, while the iPhone was 2.42 percent.

Among other mobile platforms, Google Android 2.3 took 1.02 percent, Android 4.0 had 0.48 percent, Android 2.2 accounted for 0.21 percent, BlackBerry was 0.18 percent, and Apple's iPod took 0.16 percent. The smallest share listed by Net Applications was Amazon's Kindle Fire, which accounted for 0.04 percent of devices.

At the top of the list and besting Windows XP for the first time was Microsoft's Windows 7, with a 38.54 percent share that put it ahead of the 38.46 percent held by Windows XP. Also on the list was Windows 8, Microsoft's forthcoming operating system upgrade, which was found to be in testing by 0.21 percent of PC users.

100 Comments

solipsismx 19562 comments · 13 Years

About 12 years ago

So we're measuring all of Apple's desktop OSes against a single version of desktop Windows that was never a great seller and finally dropped to a point to be lower than Mac OS X because Win 7 is more popular? I'm not seeing the relevance in comparing it to Mac OS X. Vista is crap regardless if it's installed base is higher or lower than all of Mac OS X.

mausz 243 comments · 13 Years

Although the title is textually correct, I would say Vista lost share to "pass" OS-X ?

The main point of this news in other media was that Windows 7 finally passed Windows XP.

quadra 610 6685 comments · 16 Years

We're measuring an OS that runs only on a closed, unlicensed platform for which the entry fee is typically $1000, vs. a universally-licensed OS that runs on every PC under under the sun, from the good, to the bad, to the downright ugly, at all price points.

OS X market share and Windows market share are completely different measures, with completely different forces driving them. One is driven by consumer satisfaction and ability to pay for a certain level of User Experience. The other is driven by market flooding via universal licensing.

Where the rubber meets the road, 8 years running:

http://www.macrumors.com/2011/09/20/apple-tops-u-s-pc-customer-satisfaction-survey-for-eighth-consecutive-time/

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20108336-17/apple-tops-in-customer-satisfaction-for-8th-year/

Apple tops in customer satisfaction for 8th year

Once again, the company ranks first among PC makers, receiving a score of 87 out of 100 in the American Customer Satisfaction Index. HP follows in second place.

by Don Reisinger September 19, 2011 9:02 PM PDT

Macs reign supreme in ACSI's 2011 customer satisfaction study.

For the eighth year in a row, Apple's Macs have satisfied more customers than any other vendor's PCs.

The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), which analyzes consumer feelings toward consumer electronics and appliances, among many other products, said today that Apple's Macs received a score of 87 on the index's 100-point scale measuring customer satisfaction regarding computers. The company's satisfaction score is up 1 percentage point compared to last year's tally, and up 18 percentage points from its low in 1998. What's more, Apple's 87 is the highest mark the company has received since 1995.

"In the eight years that Apple has led the PC industry in customer satisfaction, its stock price has increased by 2,300 percent," Claes Fornell, founder of the ACSI, said in a statement. "Apple's winning combination of innovation and product diversification--including spinning off technologies into entirely new directions--has kept the company consistently at the leading edge."

The ACSI's scale is a comprehensive evaluation of customer satisfaction. According to the company, it conducts about 70,000 interviews with customers each year to determine how they feel on a host of variables, including "perceived quality," "customer expectations," and "perceived value." The company also looks at customer loyalty and complaints. The index, produced by ACSI, was founded at the University of Michigan's business school.