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Microsoft has been pipped to the spot of most used operating system, with Android surpassing it in terms of web traffic.

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That's according to web analytics firm StatCounter, which said Android users nabbed 37.93 per cent of online traffic, a shade over Windows at 37.91 per cent — a slim margin, though StatCounter doesn't state a margin of error, saying it's not an estimate but actual traffic it sees.

“This is a milestone in technology history and the end of an era,” said Aodhan Cullen, ceo of StatCounter, in a statement. "It marks the end of Microsoft’s leadership worldwide of the OS market which it has held since the 1980s. It also represents a major breakthrough for Android which held just 2.4 per cent of global internet usage share only five years ago.”

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Of course, many Android users will also have a Windows computer on their desk — the stats are less about which is the most popular OS and more a reflection of the shift to mobile for web browsing.

StatCounter noted that global smartphone and tablet web traffic surpassed desktops for the first time in October.


That's particularly true in Asia, where half of web traffic is via Android, versus 29.2 per cent for Windows. In Europe, the reverse is true, with Windows holding 51.7 per cent and Android 23.6 per cent, and in North America, where Windows is on 39.5 per cent followed by not Android by iOS at 25.7 per cent.

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Windows remains the top desktop OS by a large margin, with 84 per cent market share. “Windows won the desktop war but the battlefield moved on,” Cullen said.


The latest sales figures from analyst firm IDC shows PC shipments slid 5.7 per cent last year, while smartphones posted record shipments – though growth slid to 2.3%.

Part of Android's growth may be down to its usability across multiple devices. The OS is prevalent in leading mobile phones from Google, Sony, LG, and more, as well as being used on Android Wear watches.

In March, Google, which owns Android, released the first version of its new OS to developers. Android O will replace Android Nougat, potentially towards the end of 2017, and is focussed on improving the battery life of devices running the system.