News

Windows Controls 97 Percent of PCs

Despite Microsoft's failure to release a new desktop operating system in the past five years, Windows' previous versions still give the company control of nearly 97 percent of all PCs worldwide, according to a leading Web analytics firm.

Amsterdam-based OneStat.com announced the figures in a report issued last week.

Various releases of Windows -- Windows XP, 2000, 98, ME and NT -- account for a whopping 96.97 percent of operating systems, the report said. At the top of the list is the most recent release, XP, with 86.8 percent, followed by Windows 2000, which still controls a surprising 6.09 percent of all PCs.

Bringing up the rear are Windows 98 with 2.68 percent, and Windows Millennium Edition with 1.09 percent, followed by aging Windows NT with a tiny 0.24 percent. Still, despite talk of the burgeoning popularity of Linux, the open source operating system only holds a miniscule portion of the overall market at 0.36 percent, OneStat said.

Apple's Mac OS accounts for nearly 2.5 percent of PC operating systems on a global basis.

OneStat's research is based on a sample of 2 million visitors divided into 20,000 visitors of 100 countries each day, according to the company's description of its survey methodology.

About the Author

Stuart J. Johnston has covered technology, especially Microsoft, since February 1988 for InfoWorld, Computerworld, Information Week, and PC World, as well as for Enterprise Developer, XML & Web Services, and .NET magazines.

Featured

  • Report: Cost, Sustainability Drive DaaS Adoption Beyond Remote Work

    Gartner's 2025 Magic Quadrant for Desktop as a Service reveals that while secure remote access remains a key driver of DaaS adoption, a growing number of deployments now focus on broader efficiency goals.

  • Windows 365 Reserve, Microsoft's Cloud PC Rental Service, Hits Preview

    Microsoft has launched a limited public preview of its new "Windows 365 Reserve" service, which lets organizations rent cloud PC instances in the event their Windows devices are stolen, lost or damaged.

  • Hands-On AI Skills Now Outshine Certs in Salary Stakes

    For AI-related roles, employers are prioritizing verifiable, hands-on abilities over framed certificates -- and they're paying a premium for it.

  • Roadblocks in Enterprise AI: Data and Skills Shortfalls Could Cost Millions

    Businesses risk losing up to $87 million a year if they fail to catch up with AI innovation, according to the Couchbase FY 2026 CIO AI Survey released this month.