Windows Net share shrank 3.68% year to year
Microsoft (MSFT) Windows ended the first quarter of 2009 with an Internet market share — as measured by Web hits — of 88.14%, 3.37 points (or 3.68%) smaller than last year, according to preliminary data released overnight Tuesday by the Web metrics firm Net Applications.
In the same period, Apple's (AAPL) Mac OS's Net share grew to 9.77%, up 2.29 points (30.61%) and the iPhone's grew to 0.49%, up 0.34 points (226.67%).
Net Applications’ monthly surveys are conducted by sampling browser data from some 160 million visits to websites operated by the firm’s clients. The company describes the results as “market shares,” but they do not actually measure share of market in the traditional sense of revenue or unit sales. They do, however, provide a consistent methodology by which to gauge operating system trends. (See Ars Technica for a good review of the different ways to measure Mac market share.)
To see the Net Application's April 1 report, click here. The year-to-year comparisons are summarized in the table below.
Note that the Sony (SNE) Playstation — once a contender — has fallen off the chart, and Sun Microsystems’ (JAVA) Java ME (widely used in cell phone applications) has found its way on.
Below the fold: a spreadsheet showing the changes between February and March, which were minor.
See also: Competitors gaining on the iPhone
Unless you have a Mac OSX and like it, it is not a fair to say that it is better than Windows. I hate Windows haters. I own both operating systems, and I still prefer Windows.
@gil,
100% agreed. Windows on pc is not going down anytime soon…
Only a paradigm shift could erode their dominance.
It could be coming from cloud computing, but it's too soon.
And MS could even be a major player in the cloud, believe me.
Their reign is in the corporate world is stable and strong.
Otherwise Mr Gates wouldn't have left the company. It's there to stay. Case close.
From AK, a Mac owner.
When 2 dozen Smartphone vendors sell a much more advanced WinMo7, you will see a huge spike back up for Windows. Apple will never go far despite its superior solution because it is the only one who manufacturers its products. It is suffocating possessiveness.
What goes up, must come down. 20 years from now we'll look back at this time period and wonder what the $*^%&*$\] we were thinking to let one company control so much of the personal computing experience.
Vista is no doubt causing the decline. Windows 7 will tip the scale again toward the upside for Microsoft. Mac adds mocked Microsoft for not fixing Vista. Careful what ask for Mac, Windows 7 is comming, I have tried it, it is what Vista should have been.
Keep in mind, this is net share, and probably only US.
Mac is nowhere near 10% OS market share worldwide.
That said, the ideal for Apple would be to hit 15% worldwide.
Beyond that point, products quality is no longer sustainable.
ex ped: You are correct, this is net share, not market share. But Net Applications collects worldwide data, not just U.S.
As soon as Mac gets 20 percent of the market or so and becomes a major target for hackers and works, you will see their reputation take a hit due to OS stabillity issues.
Vista at work and home has been too much for me. I will be getting a Mac next time I need a laptop. After all these years Microsoft has finally screwed up bad enough to make me leave.
Whats missing is the Browser used to access the internet. The significant growth of Mozilla and other OSS de-couple the net from the OS so that the OS becomes irrelevent over time…
add in the growth of netbooks and you have an interesting future