Android is more popular than Windows... for getting online

We already know that interest in Windows 10 is on the wane, but now Android is more popular than any version of Windows with Internet users. Google's mobile operating system has overtaken Windows as the preference for getting online for the first time.

Usage figures published by StatCounter show that Android accounted for 37.93 percent of the worldwide OS Internet usage share in March. Windows is not far behind at 37.91 percent, but Android taking the lead is being described as a "milestone in technology history."

The fact that Android is now topping the charts can be attributed to the fact that mobile devices are now used to connect to the Internet far more frequently than desktop computers and laptop. Coupled with declining PC sales, Windows is starting to lose out overall, although it still accounts for 84 percent of the worldwide desktop operating system market.

StatCounter CEO Aodhan Cullen says:

This is a milestone in technology history and the end of an era. 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 percent of global internet usage share only five years ago.

While Android may be in the lead when looked at on a worldwide level, things are slightly different when broken down by region. In Europe, for instance, Windows account for 51.7 percent of the internet usage market share, while in North America the figure is 39.5 percent. In Asia, Android is well in the lead, standing at 52.2 percent compared to Windows' 29.2 percent.