Stats from market intelligence company IDC suggest that Mac market share grew significantly last year, increasing from 5.8% in Q1 to 7.7% in Q4.
This report lists the market share of the top operating systems in use, like Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and Linux. Apple Mac computers reached $5,513 million in revenue in Q4 of 2018. (Source: Statista) Google Chrome OS. In 2016, Chrome OS’s’ K-12 market share reached 51%, which marked the first time it surpassed Apple. (Source: USA TODAY) In 2018, Chrome OS had a 60% market share among all laptops and tablets in the U.S. K-12 classrooms.
However, the company said that a dramatic explosion in Chromebook sales during the year meant that ChromeOS convincingly kicked macOS into third place in the desktop OS battle…
Demand for affordable distance learning devices during the pandemic was responsible for a 400% increase in Chromebook sales, seeing the market share rise from 5.3% in Q1 to a massive 14.4% by the end of the year – close to twice the share of macOS.
GeekWire reports:
New numbers show 2020 was the first year that Chromebooks outsold Macs, posting impressive market share gains at the expense of Windows. Computers powered by Google’s Chrome OS have outsold Apple’s computers in individual quarters before, but 2020 was the first full year that Chrome OS took second place. Microsoft’s Windows still retained majority market share, but also took a big hit as both Chrome OS and macOS gained share.
The milestone is based on numbers provided by IDC, which doesn’t typically break out sales based on device operating system. But when we went looking to see how the pandemic may have impacted the PC market, IDC analyst Mike Shirer confirmed the findings to GeekWire.
The piece suggests it should serve as a “warning” to Apple, but that’s putting it a bit strongly: Macs don’t compete against Chromebooks (with the possible exception of one or two ultra-premium models), and students using Apple kit are split across both Mac and iPad, so it’s really comparing, uh, Apples to oranges.
Mac Os Versions
Chromebooks pose a greater threat to Microsoft, which saw the market share of Windows fall from 87.5% to 76.7% in the course of the year. As GeekWire notes, that’s the first time Windows has dropped below 80% in decades. Increasingly, those who would once have bought low-end Windows laptops are switching to Chromebooks or iPads.
Our sister site 9to5Google notes Microsoft’s planned response:
Microsoft is well aware of the Chrome OS threat and is readying Windows 10X. A leaked build of that upcoming OS last month revealed a design, user experience, and approach that’s very similar to Google’s operating system. The OS, originally for dual-screen devices before a telling pivot, is expected to launch in the spring and target education as well as business customers.
Macs will of course benefit from further increased demand during the course of this year as new Apple Silicon-powered models are launched.
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WebSideStory, a provider of outsourced e-business intelligence services, is reporting that the global market share for the Mac operating system has remained at less than 3 percent since January 1999. As of Jan. 2, 2002, it was 2.32 percent, compared to Microsoft’s 96.28 percent as of the same date, according to WebSideStory’s StatMarket, a source for data on global Internet user trends. Usage share is the percentage of Internet surfers that are using a particular operating system. Not all the news is bad, however.
Although Apple has failed to capture the global market share that would allow it to compete with Microsoft on the Web, it has managed to create significant, loyal followings in some countries, according to Geoff Johnston, VP of product marketing for StatMarket. For instance, Apple’s usage share in Switzerland as of Jan. 2 was more than 6 percent, almost three times the global average. And in Japan, Mac has fluctuated between 6 and 7 percent since March 2001.
“Although Apple is a distant second in the race overall, in some regions and industries it is too prominent to be ignored by companies developing Web applications,” Johnston said. “In others, dropping support could actually be the best choice.”
StatMarket publishes information gathered from over 80 million Internet users a day to more than 125,000 sites worldwide using WebSideStory’s HitBox Enterprise and other HitBox e-business intelligence services. The service segments information from visitors in 245 countries, and 120 industry categories.
Macos Version Market Share
Somewhat contrarily, Time Canada says that recent data suggests that Apple operating systems accounted for only 3.6 percent of new license revenue in 2000, which seems a little strange since that was a good year for Apple financially. Worse, IDC projects that they will amount to even less in 2001 while Microsoft’s share of Windows licenses has increased during the same period.
Mac Vs Windows Market Share
However, there is optimism that Mac OS X will help capture more of the market share for Apple. Unix and Java developers and users are apparently coming to the platform, due to Mac OS X’s Unix base and strong Java support. This — and the influx of new applications it will bring — may also lure Unix and Java customers to the Mac platform.
Mac Os Mojave
And, of course, Apple is hoping that Mac OS X and innovative products — such as the new iMac — will attract new users, as well as convert Windows users. As Apple CEO Steve Jobs put it, the company plans to innovate its way to success.