Apple surpasses Microsoft, Google wins

Windows is no longer the leading operating system for PCs, tablets and smartphone, as predicted by Gartner. In 2016 Windows was most used, but from 2017 this will change and iOS and OSX will prevail.

It must be said that this is a somewhat symbolic victory, because Google is by far the winner. Of the 2.3 billion devices sold in 2016, only 11.2 percent is a Windows device.In 2016 260 million Windows PCs, smartphones and tablets were sold, against 248 million iOS and iOSX devices. From 2017 Apple will take the lead with 268 million pieces, whilst Microsoft will see a decrease to 252 million. It is expected that Apple will continue to lead for the next two years as well. Gartner is convinced that the iPhone 8 will be very important for Apple, since sales are beginning to become stagnant. This negative trend will be changed by the iPhone 8.
Microsoft is also suffering from stagnant PC sales. The number of PCs sold decreased from 350 million in 2012 to 268 million in 2016. Windows is mainly used for PCs. It has never been a real success for mobile phones. Gartner expects that demand for PCs will decrease even further in 2017 to 266 million pieces. In 2018 and 2019 they expect a small increase.