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I used to cover Statcounter's monthly findings about Windows and browser market share each month. While in the Windows part, drastic changes happen every time (Windows 11 is quickly catching up to Windows 10), things on the browser side are completely stalled. Competing with Google Chrome is an immense task, and even corporations like Microsoft are struggling to put a dent in Chrome's market share. Statcounter reports that during the last 12 months, the desktop browser market share worldwide has seen very little to no action. Google Chrome, despite all the regulatory turbulence around it, remains uncontested with an overwhelming 65.02% market share, which, in April 2025, decreased by 0.62 points. One year ago, in April 2024, Microsoft Edge had 12.97%. Fast forward to May 2025, Microsoft's browser has 13.29% (-0.08 points in one month and +0.32 points year-over-year). Despite being the default browser in Windows 10 and 11, despite being very hard to delete from the operating system, and despite all the efforts Microsoft puts into making users switch from Chrome (some of them are quite aggressive and openly user-hostile), Edge still seems permanently stuck with its 13% market share worldwide (the highest point was 13.9% by the end of February 2025). Source: Statcounter In some countries, though, things are a bit better for Microsoft. For example, in the United Kingdom, Edge has a more impressive 21.78%, while Chrome has 52.45%. But then, there is India, where Chrome sits at a whopping 86.22% and Microsoft Edge is all the way down at just 5.65%. Apple's Safari is the third most popular desktop browser worldwide with a 7.95% market share (-0.3 points in April 2025). Firefox is fourth with 6.14% (+0.12 points), and Opera closes the top 5 with a modest 3.04% market share (+0.1 point). You can find more information about Statcounter's latest browser findings on the official website. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of March): 1,357 RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

The market share tracking website, Statcounter, is now reporting that Android 15 has a market share of 10.06%, putting it over the 10% milestone for the first time since it launched in September 2024. This is the latest stable version of Android, but given the slow pace at which Android updates reach users, it has only now passed 10% of usage. Android 14 peaked in January 2025 at 37.08% and has since been declining. For the most recent month, it sits at 33.44%. Android 13 also declined from 17.38% to 16.94%. For any iPhone users out there not that familiar with Android updates and looking aghast at these figures, it’s important to understand that Android users still get security patches from OEMs if their devices are still supported, as well as updates to core components from Google. Credit: Statcounter What’s interesting looking back at the data is the fact that Android 15 seems to be taking longer to be adopted compared to Android 14. Version 14 was released in October 2023 and by February 2024 it had already reached 12.58% market share. That’s a much quicker uptake than Android 15 which had only hit 3.3% after the same period of time. One of the main cited reasons for the slower uptake is the delayed release of OneUI 7 by Samsung. Given that Samsung is one of the main players in the Android landscape, this will have had a big effect on Android 15 adoption. Neowin reported that OneUI 7 started rolling out at the start of April beginning with the Galaxy S24 and Z Fold series. Here is the rollout timetable, current when the article was published: April: Galaxy Z Fold 5, Galaxy Z Flip 5, Tab S10+/S10 Ultra, Galaxy S23/S23+/S23 Ultra, S24 FE. May: Galaxy Z Fold 4, Z Flip 4, Galaxy Tab S9/S9+/S9 Ultra, S23 FE, Z Fold 3, Z Flip 3, A34, A35, S22/S22+/S22 Ultra, Tab S8/S8+/S8 Ultra, S21/S21+/S21 Ultra, Galaxy A16, Galaxy Quantum 5, Galaxy Quantum 4. June: Galaxy Tab S9 FE/S9 FE+, Galaxy A73, A53, A33, A25, A24, A15, Quantum 3, Jump 3, Jump 2, Buddy 3, Galaxy Tab A9/A9+, Tab Active 5, Tab Active 4 Pro, Wide 7. Hopefully, OneUI 7’s rollout over the next couple of months will significantly drive Android 15 adoption. We should have a clearer picture around July, August, or September when all the above eligible devices will likely have upgraded. Source: Statcounter Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of March): 1,357 RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Windows 11 is getting progressively more popular. In March 2025, the operating system made a big jump in its effort to catch up with the outgoing Windows 10, and in April, it gained more. Statcounter reports that as of May 1, 2025, Windows 11 holds 43.72% of the Windows market. During April 2025, Windows 11 managed to increase its market share by 1.03 points. Windows 10, on the other hand, is losing its customers who migrate to the newer version ahead of the end of support later this year. According to Statcounter, Windows 10 lost 1.26 points in April, and it currently holds 52.94% of all PCs running Windows worldwide. During the last 12 months, Windows 11 grew from 26.19% to 43.72% (+17.53 points), and Windows 10 fell from 69.89% to 52.94% (-16.95 points). Microsoft is expected to speed up the Windows 11 rollout, but Windows 10 will not go anywhere, even after the end of mainstream support. Microsoft's Extended Security Update program will keep plenty of users with Windows 10 for a few more years despite encouragements to upgrade or dump unsupported devices. Source: Statcounter In the United States, Windows 11 is already more popular than Windows 10. It became the number one desktop operating system last month, and currently, it has 56.43%, while Windows 10 has 41.04%. The same has happened in the United Kingdom and Canada. Of course, there are countries where people are not-so-willing to update from Windows 10 to Windows 11. In Ukraine, for example, Windows 11 has only 26.7%, and Windows 10 is going strong with a steady market share of 68.55%. While the overwhelming majority of Windows customers use supported versions, there are still people out there using Windows 7 and older releases. Statcounter says Windows 7 has 2.4% (+0.18 points), Windows XP has 0.38% (+0.05 points), and Windows 8.1 is at 0.28%. You can find more information about the Windows market on the official Statcounter website. Click here to learn how the website gathers its information for monthly reports. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of March): 1,357 RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Mainstream Windows 10 support is ending in six months, and even though Microsoft is letting users have one more year of security updates for $30 (third-party solutions promise much longer support), the operating system's market share is declining rather quickly. According to the latest data published by Statcounter, Windows 11 made a significant jump in March 2025. Windows 10, on the other hand, lost a big chunk of users in just one month. As of right now, Windows 10 holds 54.23% of all Windows PCs worldwide, which is a 4.43-point decline. Windows 11 has 42.66%, which is a new all-time high for the operating system and an increase of 4.53 points (the biggest jump in three years). For Windows 11, the year-over-year change is +15.98 points (in March 2024, it was at 26.68%), and for Windows 10, it is -14.84 points (69.07% in March 2024). Source: Statcounter It is quite interesting to see Windows 11 catching up with its predecessor so quickly, but Microsoft still has a lot of work to do to convert the remaining Windows 10 users. Some of them will migrate to Windows 11 naturally, while others will have to stick to the outgoing OS for some time for all sorts of reasons. Some cannot officially update due to outdated (by Microsoft's standards) hardware, while others remain skeptical about Windows 11's changes and controversial design choices. With Windows 10, Microsoft is offering the Extended Security Update program to regular customers for the first time (previously exclusive to commercial users), which is another reason why Windows 10 is expected to hang around for a bit longer. As of right now, Microsoft plans to provide extended security updates to regular consumers for only one year. While all the drama is happening between Windows 10 and 11, the remaining Windows versions remain relatively unchanged in terms of their market shares. Windows 7 has 2.22% (-0.08 points), Windows XP is at puny 0.33% (+0.04 points), and Windows 8.1 is at 0.28% (-0.02 points). You can find more information about Statcounter's latest data here. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of March): 1,357 RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

At the beginning of each month, we take a look at the latest findings from Statcounter to learn more about what is going on with the Windows and desktop browser market. On the Windows side, we have Windows 11 climbing to a new all-time high and even overtaking Windows 10 in some countries. On the desktop browser market, though, things are a bit different. Statcounter reports that in February 2025, Microsoft Edge managed to get to 13.9% of the desktop browser market, a new all-time high (+0.11 points increase). Year-over-year growth is pretty modest, and in the last 12 months, Edge gained only 1.14 points, staying below the 14% mark the entire year. To no one's surprise, Google is still the uncontested king of the desktop and mobile market. Its overwhelming market share of 65.55% declined by 0.21 points in February 2025, with no signs of any of its competitors getting closer any time soon, even though the US government pushes Google to sell off Chrome. Third in the desktop browser market is Apple with Safari on macOS. It has 8.65%, and during the last month, its market share dropped by 0.19%. Firefox is fourth with 6.36% (+0.1 points). Its market share might see an increase in the coming months as Google and Microsoft are now shutting down Manifest V2-based extensions, such as uBlock Origin. In response, Mozilla published a blog post in which it promised to keep MV2 extensions to give users more choice and freedom, although it too is not free from other controversies. Opera is the fifth most popular desktop browser, with a market share of 2.91% (-0.01 point). Unlike Microsoft Edge, which tries to keep its users with shady tricks, Opera is trying to reinvent the wheel with some interesting ideas, like the recently launched Opera Air with a focus on well-being and relaxation. Google Chrome - 65.55% (-0.21 points) Microsoft Edge - 13.9% (+0.11 points) Apple Safari - 8.65% (-0.19 points) Mozilla Firefox - 6.36% (+0.1 point) Opera - 2.91% (-0.01 point) Source: Statcounter You can find more information about the desktop browser market share worldwide on the official Statcounter website. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of February): 874 RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Microsoft is no longer publishing official stats about its operating system (in late October 2023, it was reported that Windows 11 had roughly 400M+ users), so third-party services like Statcounter are the only way to know what is going on with the Windows market. According to the latest findings, Windows 11 is getting more popular in light of the upcoming end of Windows 10 support. Statcounter reports that in February 2025, 38% of all Windows users ran Windows 11 on their systems. The operating system gained 1.35 points and reached a new all-time high since its launch in October 2021. Year-over-year growth is 9.84 points. For reference, it took two years for Windows 10 to get the same percentage of the market. In some countries, Windows 11 has a higher market share than the global average. For example, in Canada, Windows 11 is now less than 10% away from Windows 10. It has 44.46%, while Windows 10 has 53.35%. In the UK, however, Windows 11 finally became more popular than Windows 10. 50.41% use Windows 11, while Windows 10 is on 48.18% of all PCs. Although Windows 10 is only seven months away from the end of mainstream support, it still holds strong and remains the most popular Windows version with 58.83%. In February 2025, Windows 10 lost 1.5 points. Windows 10 and 11, the only supported Windows versions, share over 97% of the Windows market. The remaining 3% are split by Windows 7, Windows XP, and Windows 8/8.1. Windows 7 is at 2.3% (+0.06 points), Windows 8.1 is at 0.31% (+0.01 points), and Windows XP has 0.29% (+0.02 points). Source: Statcounter Windows 10 - 58.83% (-1.5 points) Windows 11 - 38% (+1.35 points) Windows 7 - 2.3% (+0.06 points) Windows 8.1 - 0.31% (+0.01 points) Windows XP - 0.29% (+0.02 points) You can find more information about the global Windows market on the official Statcounter website (click here to learn how the service gathers its data). Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of February): 874 RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

It is the first day of a new month, so we take a look at the fresh data from Statcounter showing the latest developments in the Windows market. Windows 10 remains the most popular operating system among PC users, but Windows 11 is getting close despite several dips in 2024. According to Statcounter, Windows 10 currently holds 60.33% of all Windows devices. In January 2025, its share dropped 2.37% points. Year-over-year change is -6.14 points—in January 2024, Windows 10 had 66.47%. After two consecutive months of minor market share decline, Windows 11 reclaimed some of the previously lost customers and climbed all the way to 36.65%. It jumped 2.53 points and reached a new all-time high. Year-over-year growth is 8.82 points (an increase from 27.83%). Microsoft recently made Windows 11 version 24H2 broadly available to all users, including those on Windows 10. With the latter only several months away from the end of mainstream support, Microsoft is now offering Windows 10 users to jump-ship to Windows 11 version 24H2 to stay supported and benefit from some of its cool new features. However, the update remains optional even for those with eligible PCs. While all the drama is happening between Windows 10 and 11, things with unsupported Windows versions are much quieter. Windows 7 has 2.24% (-0.17 points), Windows 8.1 has 0.3% (no change), and Windows XP has 0.27% (+0.03 points). Windows 10 - 60.33% (-2.37 points) Windows 11 - 36.65% (+2.53 points) Windows 7 - 2.24% (-0.17 points) Windows 8.1 - 0.3% Windows XP - 0.27% (+0.03 points) You can find more information about the desktop Windows version market share worldwide on the official Statcounter website. Keep in mind that the data may not be 100% correct (click here to learn how Statcounter prepares its monthly reports). Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of January): 487 RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Google’s search market share drops below 90% for first time since 2015 In a surprising development, Google's global search market share was less than 90% for the final three months of 2024. Google’s share of the global search engine market fell below 90% for the first time since 2015, according to Statcounter. Google’s global search market share was under 90% during each of the final three months of 2024. The data. Here’s a screenshot of the 2024 search market share, showing Google dipping below 90% – to 89.34% in October; 89.99% in November; and 89.73% in December: And here’s the last three-month stretch where Google’s search market share was under 90%, in 2015: 89.62% in January; 89.47% in February; 89.52% in March: Why we care. As the old saying goes, one’s a dot, two’s a line, and three’s a trend. Cleary, we’re seeing a trend here with Google losing search market share. Where’s the drop? Google’s search market share appeared to be fairly consistent in most regions except Asia, which appears to have been a big reason for Google’s overall drop. U.S. drop? Google’s U.S. search market share peaked at 90.37% in November, but fell to 87.39% in December. In the other months of 2024, Google’s U.S. search market share was fairly consistent, varying between 86-88%. The big picture. Google has been under attack for nearly two years over the growing unhelpfulness of its search results despite dominating thanks to its illegal monopoly status with a commanding and consistent 90-92+% share for nearly a decade. Are we now finally starting to see the beginning people moving away to other search engines? This will be an area of interest to watch in the coming months. Where did searchers go? Did they go to AI answer engines, like ChatGPT Search and Perplexity? Well, not the way Statcounter measures things. Statcounter mainly tracks Microsoft Bing, Yandex, Yahoo and Baidu, but also has another grouping called “other,” which includes the likes of DuckDuckGo and Ecosia. Bing, Yandex, and Yahoo each gained some of Google’s lost share. Second-place Microsoft Bing hovered at or just under 4% for the final five months of 2024. Bug or blip? You may recall much rejoicing in search marketing and SEO adjacent space when it appeared Google lost a significant amount of search market share in April. However, Google’s huge search market share loss wasn’t real and Statcounter revised its data. In this case, the drop seems believable because Google was consistently under 90% in October, November, and December. The data. Statcounter’s Search Engine Market Share Worldwide. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

In October 2024, Windows 11 reached its all-time high market share, climbing to over 35.5%, according to Statcounter. This increase followed an unexpected decline when the operating system had been losing users for three months. Now, the story repeats itself. After dropping some market share in November, Windows 11 is once again in decline. Statcounter's latest data indicates that Windows 11 lost over 1.48% points in two consecutive months. In December 2024, the operating system went from 34.94% to 34.1% (-0.84 points). Windows 10, on the other hand, reclaimed some of its lost users, even though it will be out of mainstream support in less than eleven months. By now, Windows 10 remains the dominant Microsoft release, with a market share of 62.73% (+0.9 points). It will be interesting to see what happens to it as we get closer to October 2025, considering that many users cannot update to Windows 11 and that Microsoft does not want to negotiate its steep hardware requirements, such as TPM 2.0. If you cannot update officially and you do not want to buy a new device yet, you can opt for Microsoft's official Extended Security Program that grants 12 months of extra updates for $30 or use third-party solutions, such as 0patch, to get up to five years of additional support (also not free). Another option is to bypass Windows 11's hardware requirements with various tricks. If Statcounter's latest data is to be believed (Microsoft does not offer official Windows market share data), here is what the Windows market currently looks like: Windows 10: 62.73% (+0.9 points) Windows 11: 34.1% (-0.84 points) Windows 7: 2.4% (-0.07 points) Windows 8.1: 0.29% (-0.02 points) Windows XP: 0.23% (-0.02 points) You can find more information from the latest Statcounter report on the official website. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Google Chrome, the uncontested king of the browser market on mobile and desktop platforms, has increased its market share in December 2024. Statcounter reports that the browser the United States Department of Justice wants to split from Google finished the year strong and increased its market share. Google Chrome opens 2025 with a strong and unreachable 66.88% market share, increasing its market share by 0.5 points in one month and 1.65 points year-over-year (compared to December 2023). Such a massive market share leaves a big gap between the first and second place. Microsoft Edge is the closest to Google Chrome, but its market share is still very far. In December 2024, Edge went from 12.87% to 13.21% (+0.34 points). Year-over-year growth is 2.31 points. Apple's Safari is third, which is quite an achievement, considering it is the only browser that is not available on Windows. According to Statcounter, Safari currently holds 8.49% of the desktop browser market (-0.64 points). Firefox is fourth with 6.14% (-0.3 points), and Opera is fifth with 2.74% (-0.07 points). Google Chrome: 66.88% (+0.5 points) Microsoft Edge: 13.21% (+0.34 points) Apple Safari: 8.49% (-0.64 points) Mozilla Firefox: 6.14% (-0.3 points) Opera: 2.74% (-0.07 points) Google's dominant position in the browser and search market might soon be challenged as the Department of Justice recently filed a court filing, demanding the company to spin off its browser or even sell it to competitors. While there are arguments that such a change could bring more choice and more innovation to the market, Google claims that selling the browser launched in 2008 to critical acclaim would hurt America's tech leadership and put users and their data at risk. Despite a relatively low market share, Microsoft might also end up in hot waters with its Edge. Browser makers and advocacy groups recently sent a letter to the European Commission asking it to subject Edge to DMA regulations and mark Microsoft as a gatekeeper that hurts other businesses with predatory practices. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Statcounter's latest report for November 2024 is now available. In addition to fresh details about the Windows market, it shows how the browser market is doing these days. Again, spoiler alert: challenging Chrome's reign is an immensely hard task. Statcounter claims that in November 2024, Google Chrome increased its market share by 1.09 points and reached 66.31%, which is a new record-high number for Chrome in 2024. Year-over-year growth is a 4.25 points increase. Microsoft Edge is the closest browser to Google Chrome. However, calling it "the closest" is a bit of a stretch, considering how massive the gap between the two browsers is. Moreover, last month, Microsoft Edge went down from 13.56% to 12.87% (-0.69 points). One year ago, in November 2023, Edge was at 11.23%, and it shows how hard it is to get users to switch from Chrome and other browsers (especially by attempting to steal their data and impose Edge by force). Safari continues holding its steady third place with a market share floating around the 9% mark. In November 2024, Apple's Safari browser went up by 0.07 points and reached 9.13%. Google Chrome - 66.31% (+1.09 points) Microsoft Edge - 12.87% (-0.69 points) Apple Safari - 9.13% (+0.07 points) Mozilla Firefox - 6.45% (+0.06 points) Opera - 2.81% (-0.39 points) Statcounter's latest data came at an interesting time. Google is currently in a clash with the United States Department of Justice, which claims Google should sell Chrome. In response, Google stated that selling its browser would harm America's technology leadership and users who might not trust the new owner. It will be interesting to see if the development will affect Google's position in the browser market. You can learn how Statcounter gathers its data in the official FAQ section here. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. 2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of November): 5,298 news posts RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Windows 10's end of support is quickly approaching, but regular users do not seem to rush with upgrading their systems to Windows 11 yet. However, on the gaming side of the market, Windows 11 is doing much better. Valve's latest Hardware and Software Survey shows that in November 2024, the operating system set a new all-time high and reached nearly 53%. Windows overall, which includes Windows 11, 64-bit Windows 10, and 64-bit Windows 7, runs on 96.56% of all Steam users. 52.98% of them use Windows 11, and last month, that number increased by 4.18%. 64-bit Windows 10 dropped to 43.31% and lost 4.15%. As for Windows 7, which can no longer work with the latest version of Steam, it still has 0.21% (-0.07 points). Despite not being capable of running the most recent update, Windows 7 still has access to the platform. Linux and macOS increased their shares on Steam last month. Linux currently has 2.03% (+0.03 points), and macOS has 1.41% (+0.02 points). The most popular Linux distro is Arch Linux, while the most popular macOS version is 15.1 Sequoia. As for hardware, not much has changed over the last month. Your average PC running Stream still has 16GB of RAM (46.02%), a six-core processor (31.07%), the Nvidia RTX 3060 graphic card (4.89%), 8GB of VRAM (35.17%), and a monitor with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels (55.98%). Intel processors are preferred by 64.23% of users (-1.94 points), while Nvidia dominates the graphics card segment with an overwhelming 75.76% market share. Keep in mind that the Steam Hardware and Software Survey is optional, and Valve picks participants randomly. Therefore, some fluctuations are possible. The survey's goal is to provide a platform-average situation and overall trends. You can find more data from the latest survey results on the official website. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. 2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of November): 5,298 news posts RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

December 2024 is officially here, which means it is time to look at the latest changes in the Windows market in November 2024. Statcounter released the latest findings, showing that Windows 11 dipped a little after several consecutive months of steady growth. Windows 10, on the other hand, increased its market share accordingly. Statcounter says that Windows 11 currently holds about 34.94%, which is a decrease of 0.64 points in one month. With Microsoft having only two supported Windows versions, a reduction in Windows 11's market share means only one thing: Windows 10 goes up. In November 2024, Windows 10 went up to 61.83%, 0.88 points up. As for year-over-year growth, Windows 11 increased its market share from 26.63% in November 2023 to 34.94% in November 2024 (+8.31 points). In November 2023, Windows 10 was at 68.02%, and over last year, it lost 6.19 points. Here is what the Windows market currently looks like: Windows 10: 61.83% (+0.88 points) Windows 11: 34.94% (-0.64 points) Windows 7: 2.47% (-0.15 points) Windows 8.1: 0.31% (no change) Windows XP: 0.25% (-0.03 points) You can learn how Statcounter gathers its data in the official FAQ section. With Windows 10's end of support coming in slightly more than ten months, its market share of over 61% looks quite concerning. To speed up the migration to Windows 11, Microsoft is now targeting Windows 10 users with full-screen ads promoting various aspects of Windows 11 and Copilot+ PCs. Microsoft understands that not everyone can upgrade right now, so it offers the option to pay $30 for one more year of security updates. And those who do not want to pay Microsoft can consider several other options that could save outdated Windows 10 from obsolescence or landfill. Another viable option is to update your unsupported computer to Windows 11, assuming you can deal with the operating system's quirks. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. 2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of November): 5,298 news posts RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Statcounter has released its latest data, including information about the worldwide market share of desktop Windows versions. According to the report, in September 2024, Windows 11 made a significant jump and reached a new all-time high record since its launch in October 2021. Now, three years after day one, Windows 11 sits at a 33.37% mark. In September 2024, Windows 11 increased its market share by 1.74 points, which is quite a significant jump, considering the operating system was losing market share only a few months ago. Year-over-year growth is 9.73 points (Windows 11 was at 23.64% in September 2023). With Windows 11 steadily gaining more users each month, Windows 10 is slowly decreasing in popularity. However, the ten-year-old operating system still supremely outmatches its successor two to one. Statcounter says Windows 10 has a 62.79% market share, and in September 2024, it went down by 1.35 points (-8.83 points year-over-year). This trend is expected to continue as Windows 10 enters its final year of mainstream support. Microsoft is also expected to launch a big new feature update for Windows 11 later this month, which, alongside new processor launches from Intel and AMD, can also help the operating system speed up its adoption rate. In total, Windows 10 and 11 hold 96.16% of the market, with the remaining 3%+ taken mostly by Windows 7. The latter has a steady 2.85%. Windows 10: 62.79% (-1.35 points) Windows 11: 33.37% (+1.74 points) Windows 7: 2.85% (-0.2 points) Windows 8.1: 0.36% (-0.05 points) Windows XP: 0.34% (-0.06 points) Image source: Statcounter You can find more information about Statcounter's findings on the official website. Keep in mind that the data may not be 100% as only Microsoft can provide accurate breakdowns of its operating system segmentation. Sadly, it won't do it, so developers and users have to rely on third-party analytics services. Source RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. 2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of September): 4,292 news posts

According to the latest findings from Statcounter, which published its January 2024 report today, Windows 11 gained a notable number of new users during the first month of 2024. After finishing 2023 at a 26.54% mark, Microsoft's newest operating system increased its market share to 27.83% (+1.29 points). This is an all-time high for Windows 11, which is now over two years old. The increase in Windows 11's market share means negative gains for Windows 10. Although it is still the dominant operating system on the market, its audience is slowly leaving for newer releases as the latest computers come bundled with Windows 11, and newer hardware works better with it. Statcounter says Windows 10 finished January 2024 at a 66.47% mark, which is -0.95 points. Despite the steady decline, Windows 10 is with us for the long run. Windows 11 is still an optional update with a steep hardware requirement, which means plenty of Windows 10 users may not even know Windows 11 exists or they can update to it. In addition, Windows 10 has a little less than two years of mainstream support ahead, with three more years of paid extended security updates afterward. The latter will be available to regular customers for the first time. Windows 7, a fifteen-year-old operating system, is the third most popular Windows release. After a big wave of users upgrading to Windows 10 in January 2023, Windows 7 sits slightly above 3%. In January 2024, it went down from 3.35% to 3.05%. Of course, there are still people who use Windows 8, 8.1, and XP, even though Windows XP reached the end of support ten years ago, and Windows 8 was one of the most hated releases. Windows 8.1 is at 1.73% (+0.05), Windows XP is at 0.57% (-0.07), and Windows 8 is at 0.26% (-0.02). You can find more information on the official Statcounter website. Keep in mind that third-party reports are never 100% accurate. Source

Statcounter has published its January 2024 report, showing the latest changes in the desktop and mobile browser markets. According to their data gathered using tracking code on over 1.5 million websites globally, Microsoft Edge did great in January 2024, managing to get over one extra point and climb to its new all-time high. Statcounter says Microsoft's browser now has a 12.96% share in the desktop browser market. Unsurprisingly, Google Chrome is still the number one desktop browser with a 64.84% share. After a substantial gain in December 2023, Chrome lost 0.39 points, something Google can easily afford considering its dominant position. Chrome's recent updates introduced several AI-powered features, which might lure users from alternative browsers. Apple's Safari is the third most popular desktop browser, with a market share of 8.83% (-0.13 points). Mozilla Firefox is fourth with 7.57% (-0.05 points), and Opera is fifth at a 3.23% mark (-0.57 points). Google Chrome - 64.84% (-0.39 points) Microsoft Edge - 12.96% (+1.01 points) Apple Safari - 8.83 (-0.13 points) Mozilla Firefox - 7.57% (-0.05 points) Opera - 3.23% (-0.57 points) Here is what is happening in the mobile browser market, where Edge, sadly, is nowhere near its rivals. Maybe the upcoming extension support will help Microsoft make its mobile browser more popular on Android and iOS, but for now, things are rather uninspiring for the software giant. Statcounter says Microsoft Edge has a market share of 0.3% (+0.06 points). Google Chrome - 64.74% (-0.19 points) Apple Safari - 25.07% (+0.36 points) Samsung Internet - 4.39% (-0.09 points) Opera - 2.15% (-0.12 points) UC Browser - 1.36% (-0.12 points) You can find more information about the latest Statcounter report on the official website. As a reminder, Statcounter's data is not 100% accurate. Click here to learn how the service prepares its monthly reports. Source

Google continues to dominate the search engine market share, while Bing staggers behind with only 3.4% of the global stake. What you need to know Bing's market share in search remains stagnant despite Microsoft's heavy investment in AI. Its market share stood at 3.4% at the end of last year, with Google asserting its dominance in the category with a whopping 91.6%. Microsoft could potentially be in a position to make up for this after Google was listed as a gatekeeper by the European Commission under the DMA, which forced it to allow users to use Bing or Microsoft as their default search engine or browser respectively. It's almost one year since Microsoft unveiled its fully-fledged AI-powered assistant, Microsoft Copilot (formerly Bing Chat) which is widely available across Microsoft Edge, Windows 11, Bing, and Microsoft 365. Part of these efforts are geared toward gaining traction in the search market share, which is currently dominated by Google. And now, Microsoft's efforts have seemingly been rendered futile, at least according to a survey by Statcounter, which indicates that Bing's market share has only grown by less than 1% since debuting Microsoft Copilot. A graph showcasing widely popular search engines and their global search market share. (Image credit: Statcounter) As spotted by Bloomberg, Bing closed off 2023 with just 3.4% of the global search market, while Google continues to dominate the category with a whopping 91.6% of the market share. Other search engines like Yandex and Yahoo came in closely after Bing with 1.6% and 1.1% of the global search market respectively. A similar report from the research firm from last year also pointed out that Bing's market share remained pretty much the same (stagnant) for the better part of last year. However, its user base grew significantly shortly after Microsoft Copilot's launch, ultimately pushing it from 95.7 million in February to 101.7 million in March. Unfortunately, the increased traffic was short-lived, as the hype for AI advances seemingly dwindled amongst users. Ai might not save Bing's sinking ship (Image credit: Windows Central | Bing Image Creator) Despite Microsoft's heavy investment in generative AI and its ever-evolving relationship with ChatGPT maker, OpenAI, Google continues to assert its dominance in search. While making an appearance in Google's antitrust trial last year, Microsoft's CEO indicated that Google doesn't play fair with Bing, further pointing out that Apple's deal with Google to use its search engine across its wide array of devices has negatively impacted Bing. The CEO also said that he was willing to part with up to $15 billion annually to secure a similar deal with Apple, citing that it would be a game-changer for Bing. Recent reports highlighting that chatbots like Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT are only getting dumber, coupled with the exorbitant cost implication required to keep these chatbots don't help Microsoft to state its case. Opportunities for Microsoft to exploit (Image credit: Windows Central / Copilot) However, Microsoft could potentially make up for these shortcomings by taking advantage of the European Commission listing Google as a gatekeeper under the DMA. The company was given six months to comply with the DMA rules, including ensuring its services are interoperable. Google has already started making changes to its services in compliance with the DMA. One of the most notable changes made is that users will now be able to easily set Microsoft Bing and Edge as their default search engine and browser, respectively. This could potentially allow Microsoft Bing to compete with Google on an even playing field. As it happens, it seems Microsoft Edge and Bing might be off the European Commission's hook after investigations revealed that the services weren't dominant enough to warrant regulation and scrutiny by the watchdog. That said, Google continues to make advances in the AI landscape with its own ChatGPT-like iteration, Google Bard, coupled with other nifty AI-powered features. It will be interesting to see how things pan out in the long run for Microsoft with these potentially beneficial opportunities. Do you think Microsoft Bing will overtake Google in the search market share race? Share your thoughts in the comments. Source

Apple beat all the Android OEMs while selling dramatically more expensive phones. Market research firm IDC has released some stunning smartphone market share numbers for 2023. The number one smartphone OEM is now Apple. The IDC says Apple hit an "all-time high market share" number for 2023 and that Apple has "the number 1 spot annually for the first time ever." The analyst group says this represents "a sort of shifting of power" in the smartphone market. That all-time high market share puts Apple at 20.1 percent for 2023, a 3.7 percent growth over 2022. Nearly everyone on Team Android is way down, with Samsung now in second place after losing 13.6 percent in 2023 for 19.4 percent market share on the year. Chinese firm Xiaomi is down 4.7 percent for 12.5 percent market share, and Oppo (the parent company of OnePlus) dropped 9.9 percent and is fourth, with 8.8 percent of the market. Next up is "Transsion," a company that is definitely not a household name but is big in emerging markets like Africa. Transsion is a big winner, with 30 percent growth from 2022 to 2023. With 8.1 percent market share, it takes the fifth spot. The IDC's market share charts for 2023. IDC Apple is usually not first in sales because the average iPhone purchase is much more expensive than an average Android phone. Samsung's cheapest phones can be had for about $50, and while you can get a wildly expensive foldable that costs a lot more than an iPhone, Samsung's bestselling models are often the midrange "A" series, which are in the $200–$450 range. Other Android manufacturers are in the same boat, with low-volume halo products and high-volume cheap devices. According to Omdia's top-10 model sales list for 2023, Apple's bestselling phone—and the bestselling phone model in the world—was the $1,100 iPhone 14 Pro Max. The world's second bestselling phone is the $1,000 iPhone 14 Pro. Third is the iPhone 14, which cost $800 for most of 2023. Apple's cheapest phone is the iPhone SE at $429, but that model doesn't sell well. The point is that Android manufacturers usually win these market share charts by selling cheap and midrange phones, but Apple was able to take the top spot while existing only in the mid-to-premium phone space. The industry lingo for this is "average sell price" (ASP), and for Q2 2023, the IDC has the average Android phone at $250, while the average iPhone costs $949. In 2020, Apple was fourth in market share behind Samsung, Huawei, and Xiaomi, which made sense given Apple's more expensive product line. In 2023, Apple beat all these Android OEMs while selling dramatically more expensive products. The IDC's Nabila Popal wraps up the numbers by saying, "Apple's ongoing success and resilience is in large part due to the increasing trend of premium devices, which now represent over 20% of the market, fueled by aggressive trade-in offers and interest-free financing plans." Source

Statcounter, a website that tracks the market share of web browsers, operating systems, and search engines, is reporting that Linux on the desktop has over 4% market share for the very first time (Statcounter records ChromeOS as a separate operating system despite being based on Linux). Statcounter doesn’t provide any explanation about why the market share has increased but we can speculate what’s going on. Linux’s march to its 4.03% market share has been a steady process ever since the final months of 2020 when Linux held just 1.53% of desktop market share. One of the biggest contributors to the growth of Linux is likely the stringent hardware requirements of Windows 11. When Windows 11 launched, computers needed to support TPM 2.0, which many didn’t; users without this hardware had to remain on Windows 10 which was released back in 2015. Additionally, the recently released 24H2 update for Windows 11 further altered the hardware requirements, invalidating even more computers. Unlike Windows 11, Linux distributions don’t impose such severe restrictions on users. While it’s true most of the main Linux distros have discontinued 32-bit support, you can still find some distros that support it; there are no TPM 2.0 or secure boot requirements, though. Another reason that we could be seeing more people using Linux is that people are more confident with computers nowadays because more people grew up with them. While it may sound scary to some people to install Linux, it’s actually relatively straightforward given the big improvements to installers. With the shift to online computing and software vendors releasing their apps on Linux, the barrier to entry has been drastically reduced. The Linux kernel also includes support for most hardware out of the box so setting up is typically easy. The final possible reason for the increase in market share is to do with saving money. Right now, we are all being squeezed by stagnant wages and runaway inflation, and frankly, a lot of people just don’t want to blow their money on a PC upgrade. By switching to Linux, they can revive a computer that was purchased over the last decade. Reviving an older computer also means that it stays out of a landfill, which is good for the environment. Source

Last month, Neowin reported that Linux surpassed 4% market share for the first time according to Statcounter. Now, Linux has managed to further increase its market share from 4.03% to 4.05% to further secure its position. One interesting note is that Statcounter doesn’t include Chrome OS in the Linux market share even though it is using the Linux kernel. The Linux data includes distributions such as Ubuntu, Fedora, and Linux Mint. Speaking of Chrome OS, it remained flat in terms of market share staying at 2.27% of market share. It has actually fallen quite a bit since September when it was at 3.89% market share. The education sector is a main driver of Chrome OS because users simply sign in with a Gmail account and all of their apps are where they left them even on a new machine because it all syncs with Google Chrome. This setup is a lot less of a headache for schools managing many children. With Microsoft planning to retire Windows 10 in October 2025, many customers will have to decide whether to buy a new Windows 11 computer. For some people, this simply isn’t an option; in those cases they will either continue running a vulnerable Windows 10, or switch to another operating system that is compatible with their hardware such as Linux. It will be very interesting to watch how things go after the retirement date of Windows 10 to see if Windows 11’s stringent hardware requirements backfire and hurt Microsoft’s grip on the desktop landscape. Next month, we have two big Linux releases coming. Firstly, there will be Fedora 40 shipping with the latest GNOME desktop. Several days later, Ubuntu 24.04 LTS will launch. The new Ubuntu version will be supported with updates until 2029 - this is great for anyone who wants to hang on to existing hardware but can’t upgrade to Windows 11. Source: Statcounter Source

Statcounter is not the only analytics service reporting a decrease in Windows 11's market share. Valve published the latest results of its monthly Hardware and Software Survey, claiming Windows 11 lost a bit of its customers among Steam users as well. For those unfamiliar, each month, Valve randomly picks a subset of Steam users and offers them anonymous participation in the survey. The provided data is platform-average, and it helps developers decide where to invest their time and resources to reach as many customers as possible. According to Valve, in March 2024, Windows 11 went down from 41.96% to 41.61%. On the other hand, Windows 10 gained what Windows 11 lost—its market share increased from 54.19% to 54.40%. Other Windows versions, which are now unsupported, continue to their inevitable demise. 64-bit Windows 7 has 0.49% (-0.08 points), and 64-bit Windows 8.1 has 0.08% (-0.01 points). 64-bit Windows 10 - 54.40% (+0.21 points) Windows 11 - 41.61% (-0.35 points) 64-bit Windows 7 - 0.49% (-0.08 points) 64-bit Windows 8.1 - 0.08% (-0.01 points) Overall, 96.67% of all Steam users play games on Windows PCs (-0.24%). MacOS has 1.38% (+0.06), and Linux has 1.94% (+0.18). Here is what was happening on the hardware side in March 2024. Steam Hardware Survey - March 2024 Processors Intel 68.74% (+0.83) AMD 31.22% (-0.83) Microsoft 0.04% CPU Cores 6 cores 34.12% (+0.69) 4 cores 19.93% (-0.56) 8 cores 19.82% (-0.33) Memory 16GB 47.7% (-1.34) 32GB 29.29% (+2.10) 8GB 11.74% (-0.45) GPU Models Nvidia RTX 3060 6.71% (+0.71) Nvidia RTX 2060 3.98% (-0.02) Nvidia GTX 1650 3.95% (-0.16) Video Memory 8GB 35.17% (+1.14) 12GB 18.32% (+1.2) 6GB 14.76% (-0.72) Display Resolution 1920 x 1080 58.45% (-0.37) 2560 x 1440 19.82% (+0.87) 1366 x 768 3.46% (-0.1) You can find more information on the official Steam Hardware and Software Survey website. Source

The March 2024 report from Statcounter is now available, giving developers and curious customers the latest insights into various markets and products, such as browsers, operating systems, search engines, and more. According to Statcounter, February 2024 was not the best month for Windows 11. After reaching its highest point in January, Microsoft's latest operating system dipped quite significantly, going from 28.18% to 26.72% (-1.46 points). Interestingly, the company recently started sending out "invitations to upgrade" to more non-managed devices with Windows 10. So far, those invitations have not helped Windows 11 increase its market share. Windows 10, on the other hand, reclaimed some of the previously lost audience. As of right now, its market share sits just a little higher than 69%. Statcounter claims Windows 10 increased its market share by 1.81 points. Windows 10 will reach its end of life in October 2025, so expect Microsoft to expedite the rollout of Windows 11 to more eligible devices in the near future. Despite their "no support" status, Windows 7, 8.1, and 8 still have relatively big market shares. Windows 7 is at 3.04%, Windows 8.1 is at 0.44%, and Windows 8 is at 0.29%. Even Windows XP has a large enough audience with access to the internet (even though mainstream browsers dropped Windows XP years ago) to register on Statcounter's gauges—0.39%. Here is the breakdown of the Windows market as of March 2024 by Statcounter: Windows 10: 69.04% (+1.81 points) Windows 11: 26.72% (-1.46 points) Windows 7: 3.04% (-0.06 points) Windows 8.1: 0.44% (-0.22 points) Windows XP: 0.39% (-0.13 points) You can find more information on the official Statcounter website. Disclaimer: Statcounter reports are not 100% accurate. Click here to learn how the company gathers data. Microsoft does not provide official stats and Windows version breakdowns, so users and developers have to rely on third-party analytics services. Source

It is the first day of a new month, which means it is time to take a look at how things on the desktop browser market changed over March 2024. Spoiler alert: not much. The March 2024 report from Statcounter reveals that Microsoft Edge is still having a hard time getting new users. During the month, it lost 0.05 points and reached 12.71%. Even though Microsoft Edge is preinstalled on hundreds of millions of PCs worldwide, most people still prefer Chrome. The slow growth of Edge could also be attributed to the recent changes Microsoft implemented to make its products DMA-compliant in Europe, such as the ability to uninstall Microsoft Edge without using third-party apps, scripts, and hacks. It is not all negative, though. Microsoft is trying to lure users with legitimately useful features. For example, Microsoft Edge will soon let you limit how much memory it eats. This feature might make the browser more appealing to users who are conscious of resource consumption on their computers. Google Chrome is still the number one. It increased its already unreachable market share to 65.77%, going up 0.39 points in one month. And with Chrome now being fully ARM-friendly, those planning to buy the upcoming computers powered by the Snapdragon X Elite platform will have even fewer incentives to switch browsers. Here is the breakdown of the desktop browser market as of March 2024: Google Chrome - 65.77% (+0.39 points) Microsoft Edge - 12.71% (-0.05 points) Apple Safari - 8.63% (-0.08 points) Mozilla Firefox - 6.61% (-0.64 points) Opera - 3.15% (+0.1 points) And here is what things look like on the mobile side, where the market is dominated by Google and Apple: Google Chrome - 65.29% (-0.63 points) Apple Safari - 24.26% (+0.49 points) Samsung Internet - 4.41% (-0.01 points) Opera - 2.2% (+0.03 points) UC Browser - 1.44% (+0.11 points) On the mobile market, Microsoft Edge has a 0.3% share, which went down 0.02 points in March 2024. Microsoft is working on browser extension support for the Edge browser on mobile, so maybe it will help convert some users from Chrome or Samsung Internet. You can find more information on the official Statcounter website. Disclaimer: Statcounter reports rely on code embedded into millions of websites across the internet. Therefore, they are not 100% accurate. Click here to learn more about how the company gathers data. Source

Last month, Statcounter reported a notable decrease in Windows 11's market share, and the trend continued in April 2024. After reaching its all-time high of 28.16% in February 2024, Windows 11 plummeted below the 26% mark. According to Statcounter, in April 2024, Windows 11 lost 0.97 points, going down from 26.68% to 25.65%. All those users seemingly went for Windows 10 since the OS, which will soon turn nine, crossed the 70% mark for the first time since September 2023, gaining 0.96 points. It is interesting to see Windows 11 losing quite a significant chunk of users in the middle of its cycle. Even Windows 8 and 8.1, universally considered not great versions of Windows, only went down after the release of their successors. True, Statcounter is not 100% accurate in its estimates, but an almost 3-point decline for a product with over 1 billion devices is too big to dismiss. Some argue that Windows 11 still offers little to no benefits for upgrading, especially in light of Microsoft killing some of the system's unique features, such as Windows Subsystem for Android. Add to that the ever-increasing number of ads, some of which are quite shameless, and you get an operating system that has a hard time winning hearts and minds, and retaining its customers. Later this month, Microsoft will showcase new AI features for Windows 11, which could become the first solid reason to leave Windows 10 behind. However, rumors indicate some of the most exciting parts will not be available on existing hardware. Therefore, customers who do not plan to upgrade their PCs simply have no reason to stay with Windows 11. As for Windows 7, despite the no-support state and the continuous developer support exodus, it is still alive and kicking. Statcounter says about 3% (-0.04 points) of all Windows PCs are still powered by Windows 7, which was fully discontinued in January 2023. Some developers still release updates for Windows 7, but most mainstream apps and browsers ditched the old OS many months ago. Windows 10: 70.03% (+0.96 points) Windows 11: 25.65% (-0.97 points) Windows 7: 3% (-0.04 points) Windows 8.1: 0.53% (+0.09 points) Windows 8: 0.36% (+0.08 points) You can find more information about the April 2024 report from Statcounter on the official website. Source

Statcounter published its latest data gathered in April 2024. According to the report, Microsoft Edge is slowly gaining more users, but its market share is still light years behind Google Chrome, which also increased its market share last month. Google Chrome, the most popular browser in the world, currently has a 65.94% market share. In April 2024, it increased by 0.17 points. Google does not want to give away its users, so it recently made sure that those who plan to buy next-gen Windows 11 AI PCs with ARM processors can continue using Chrome without interruption. As such, Chrome now has a native ARM64 version on Windows. Moving to Edge, Microsoft's browser is currently at 12.82%, a modest 0.12-point increase over the previous month. However, this is not its highest value—in January 2024, Statcounter reported Edge's all-time high market share of 12.96% on the desktop market. Safari closes the top 3 desktop browser list with 8.44%. Although Apple's browser lost 0.19 points during April 2024, it is still pretty far from Firefox, which has a 6.67% market share. The latter increased by 0.06 points. Google Chrome - 65.94% (+0.17 points) Microsoft Edge - 12.82% (+0.12 points) Apple Safari - 8.44% (-0.19 points) Mozilla Firefox - 6.67% (+0.06 points) Opera - 3.09% (-0.07 points) Here is what is happening on the mobile side of the market, where Chrome is also the undisputed king, with Safari in second place and Samsung Internet in third. Google Chrome - 65.68% (+0.39 points) Apple Safari - 23.75% (-0.51 points) Samsung Internet - 4.33% (-0.08 points) Opera - 2.17% (-0.03 points) UC Browser - 1.43% (-0.01 points) The mobile version of Microsoft Edge is in 9th place with a 0.39% market share. You can find more information about Statcounter's latest browser report on the official website. Source