Now and again, I like to revisit which operating systems are the most popular. Before reading this article, which one would you guess still has the most users?
For example, how about we look at Apple’s Mac OS X 10.12? Just under 4% of those with desktops or laptops are running it. Add all of the other versions of OS X in there and you come up with about 5% of people using a Mac OS.
Linux has grown exponentially in the past few years and accounts for around 3% of systems in use.
You’d be surprised how many people are running operating systems no longer supported by Microsoft. A full 1% are using Windows NT. Less than half that many are running Vista. Nearly 6% are using Windows XP, which a huge drop from a couple of years ago.
Only about 7% are running Windows 8 or 8.1. Despite the offer of free upgrades, Windows 10 is only found on about 29% of PCs. Windows 7 still reigns supreme with a 47% market share. But that operating system only has a couple of more years of support left in it.
So, which operating system are you running now? Do the numbers surprise you at all? Let us know in the comments.
I am running Windows 10 Pro on my desktop. That’s because I bought a new computer earlier this year, and Windows 10 is all they’re selling these days. My earlier computers convinced me that “going Pro,” upgrading on purchase from “home” or whatever may be standard at the time, is worth the money. This, of course, assumes that you are ordering a computer from a seller that offers options for the finished build, not wandering down to a local store and picking one up in a carton. My laptops are old and still on Windows 7. My Kindle Fire (surprise!) is on Amazon’s version of Android. I don’t have a smartphone.