Less than a decade after its first launch, Android has surpassed Windows to become the most popular OS in the world based on terms of internet usage. The numbers account for all devices: desktop, laptop, and mobiles. 

In March, Android devices accounted for 37.93 percent of the total internet usage, with Windows PCs and devices just slightly behind at 37.91 percent.

“This is a milestone in technology history and the end of an era,” commented Aodhan Cullen, CEO, StatCounter.  “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% of global internet usage share only five years ago.”

With smartphones sales showing no sign of slowing down and PC sales on a declining trend, we should see Android further extend its lead over Windows in terms of popularity in the coming months.

Android’s chief rival, iOS, remained a distant third with a 12.09% market share. However, in the US, iOS devices were more popular than Android based on their internet usage.

The rise of Android can be attributed to the success of Android smartphones in Asia, where 52.2 percent Android devices accessed the internet compared to only 29.2 percent Windows devices. In Europe and North America, Windows OS maintained a healthy lead over Android.

Windows has long been the most popular OS out there, but with the rising popularity of smartphones and Android, it is just a matter of months before it loses its crown to Google’s Android for good.