Here is how fast mobile and the web are destroying the Windows monopoly

posted by Victor H.

Jul 17, 2013, 8:24 AM

Here is how fast mobile and the web are destroying the Windows monopoly

Just four years ago, the computing landscape looked drastically different. Apple was just taking off, but it was still a rarity to see an iPhone and the iPad had not even launched. It was all about Windows on desktop and notebook PCs.

Who would have thought that in mere four years, the technological picture of the world would change drastically. The once dominant Microsoft holding a monopoly on the computing market would have become quickly outgrown by a different platform, and struggling to remain third. Back in 2009 Microsoft still held more than 70% of the market and now that has dwindled down to around 30%.

Who would have thought that the BlackBerry mania then would quickly vanish and the once prolific Canadian company would have its CEO duo step down and BlackBerry would lose its positions almost entirely.

In 2013, it does not matter much which device you are using to access the web. The charts below illustrate brilliantly how the once dominant Windows operating system yielded its positions to Android and how Apple rose to become the third.

Here is how fast mobile is destroying the Windows monopoly

screen-shot-2013-07-17-at-6.13.59-am.png

source: Business Insider

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58 Comments

55. puckhead

Posts: 81; Member since: Jan 13, 2013

MS def got to the mobile market late with quality products, I wonder if this had anything with dedicating resources to Xbox

posted on Jul 18, 2013, 12:11 AM 0

50. networkdood

Posts: 6330; Member since: Mar 31, 2010

Since the wife purchased my Nexus 7, 1.0, last September, I use it for 90% of my web surfing and downloading.

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 3:20 PM 0

49. yazbuh

Posts: 29; Member since: Jun 21, 2012

It's not because nobody is buying PCs, but the fact that there are more people buying smartphones and tablets now, there are still many people buy PC, I do have two smart phones and a tablet but I ussually just use it when I'm outside or in a bit of a hurry, but if I'm at home I'm more at home at my PC...

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 2:16 PM 0

48. TA700

Posts: 83; Member since: Mar 29, 2013

Maybe PA should have placed the 2nd slide 1st, some seem to be confused at the point of this article.

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 12:37 PM 0

45. ryq24

Posts: 877; Member since: Oct 17, 2011

Windows is becoming another nokia. No wonder both have join together to fight android and apple.

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 12:03 PM 1

44. snowgator

Posts: 3630; Member since: Jan 19, 2011

I agree with @kelly71, comment 17. Sometimes, passions over ride common sense when looking at patterns and sales graphs. The PC has not declined in usage- it has declined in updating/replacement. The rise of Android and Apple in the mobile markets enable basic tasks to be done wherever service allows. As a result, PC's are still vital to life in business and extended home needs, but not required at all times. Nor is the need to be tethered to a desk top the beat all and all. That has ended the PC dominance, and therefore ended MS's hold on this market. There still is no real replacement for a lot of MS services, and there still is a huge need for PC's/laptops The mobile market is a God Send, and MS has been slow to react to it. But, honestly, does ANYONE truly believe MS is dying??? Really?? Not a chance. But, this will look like a new company in a few more years. And Android/Apple and the market will have forced it to happen.

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 12:01 PM 0

43. DontHateOnS60

Posts: 872; Member since: Apr 20, 2009

Somebody forgot to include the Windows 8 launch date on that last chart.

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 11:51 AM 0

42. InspectorGadget80 unregistered

When I'm at home I use my Windows pc. When I'm out I use my android phone. I hardly use my phone 24hrs like some addicts. Even though I hate Windows 8.

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 11:43 AM 0

41. InspectorGadget80 unregistered

When I'm at home I use my Windows pc. When I'm out I use my android phone. I hardly use my phone 24hrs like some addicts. Even though I hate Windows 8.

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 11:43 AM 0

40. InspectorGadget80 unregistered

When I'm at home I use my Windows pc. When I'm out I use my android phone. I hardly use my phone 24hrs like some addicts. Even though I hate Windows 8.

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 11:43 AM 1

39. jaytai0106

Posts: 1888; Member since: Mar 30, 2011

Sometime I really wonder if the PA writers ever think about what are all the factors going into those numbers and graph. From the 1st graph, it shows the steady growth of the PC sales until about 2011 it goes down a bit. This shows majority of people realized they can connect to the web without using a PC finally, so there isn't a need to replace their current PC. They can keep the old PC a bit longer for heavier task when they need it. From the 2nd graph shows, the growth of smartphone sale shrinks the percentage of the PC sale by comparison. The bottom line, the sales of PC will decrease as years come because the basic task on the internet can simply be done on the smartphone. However, PC will never be replaced by smartphone in any near future. The need for PC is still large either is for work or personal usage. Until there is a way for Google to come out with a OS for desktop to be compatible with all current software runs on Window, we will be seeing Window around for a while.

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 11:38 AM 0

32. jove39

Posts: 2154; Member since: Oct 18, 2011

Windows platform won't die...but shrink to certain level...only power users will use windows...rest will move to Android or iOS...I wonder if in next 5 years windows share will be down to 10%

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 10:41 AM 0

31. sats.mine2k4

Posts: 208; Member since: Aug 10, 2012

Based on Slide 2 Android is killing Windows and Apple is killing Blackberry

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 10:37 AM 0

30. sherby

Posts: 7; Member since: Jun 21, 2013

The biggest mistake Microsoft made is deciding the windows strategy no longer worked. Just look at Android Microsoft........ You remember when windows phone 7 originally launched and they decided a 'premium' only strategy was a good idea? Fast forward a few years..... best selling windows phone device=lumia 5xx..........

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 10:29 AM 1

27. ilia1986 unregistered

I am sorry but no. Even High end Android tablets cannot provide the same desktop experience as a Windows 7 PC. I am not even talking about the iToys. Yes, mobile apps are a good substitute for the web when available.. but the key words are 'when available'. To this day a great many websites have hover menus, small buttons, scroll bars and other UI elements using which is ill-advised on a pure touchscreen device. Sadly the direction in which Microsoft has chosen to go (focus on shiny oversized live tiles and curated apps instead of further enhancing the desktop experience - something that it has been doing until 2012 - and - a fact which infuriates me greatly - despite something that it's main rival - Apple - has been doing - and still does until now) - leaves only Linux as a the sole contender for providing a viable future for such seemingly 'low tech' devices such as a PC mouse and a full sized stand alone keyboard. In short: All these tablets, smartphones, hybrids, Windows 8 RT, whatever CANNOT as of yet replace a standard 5 year old PC running Windows 7.

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 9:56 AM 0

26. zombiewolf115

Posts: 38; Member since: Jul 16, 2013

of course in a house hold of idk 5 every1 is going to have a phone. but not every1 is going to have their own computer.

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 9:44 AM 0

25. livyatan

Posts: 867; Member since: Jun 19, 2013

I don't get the first graph.. looks as if tablets have more shipments than smartphones

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 9:42 AM 0

18. dickwyn

Posts: 621; Member since: May 07, 2012

Its a fact that there is just more smartphones than PCs now

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 9:03 AM 1

17. Kelley71

Posts: 105; Member since: Nov 26, 2012

I think the point is in the process of being missed--it's not MS Windows, or Microsoft itself, that is being destroyed; it's the Microsoft defacto Monopoly. Truly, if you want the smoking gun, it's DirectX. 10 years ago DirectX was the defacto standard for animated graphics--but being Windows proprietary, DirectX doesn't run on OSX, Linux (including Android), BSD or the like (WINE and Darwin nonwithstanding; both struggle with Beta quality). But due to the rise of Android, iOS and OSX's market shares and userbases, OpenGL, SDK and the like are rising in popularity. Likewise, Visual Basic is folding into C# and Java. Windows Phone and its lack of uptake is just a symptom of Redmond's decline. It's not that Windows is going away--just its reputation as the only serious option across the board. Platform agnosticism is replacing the longstanding assumption of a Microsoft license as the "safe route."

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 9:01 AM 1

20. ihatesmartphone unregistered

Monopoly is bad. That's what happen to MS!

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 9:06 AM 0

23. Kelley71

Posts: 105; Member since: Nov 26, 2012

I began kicking Microsoft off my personal isle in 2007, and finished in 2010 (waiting for the Epic to be released to replace a never-quite-right Touch Pro); whilst tears might be shed for Redmond, none will be mine.

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 9:12 AM 2

29. joey_sfb

Posts: 6794; Member since: Mar 29, 2012

In complete agreement. They have a long history of overcharging. Operating system, office suite, Xbox 360 accessories. Bye Microsoft! You wouldn't be missed.

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 10:10 AM 1

11. Edmund

Posts: 656; Member since: Jul 13, 2012

Really??? I just purchsed a spanking new Desktop processor and Motherboard the other day. It would be extremely amusing to watch the author run an E-commerce business or even develop a simple application with an android smartphone or tablet. Question - Does car ownership have an adverse effect on the number of people commuting to and from work using the rail system ?? I doubt it. Infact, you would find the reverse is actually happening, especially in densly populated cities like New York, London, where car ownership is too expensive.

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 8:51 AM 0

15. Droid_X_Doug

Posts: 5993; Member since: Dec 22, 2010

Well, to continue your analogy, the majority of the world population doesn't live in places like New York and London. The Android community serves the people who don't need to be tied to a desktop PC.

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 8:59 AM 2

28. pellegrini

Posts: 84; Member since: Jun 14, 2012

Don't get me wrong, but not everyone need to run a e-commerce and if you do, you don't need windows for that. I'm working for the biggest telecommunication company of my country and they doesn't use windows in their servers. Anyway, I understand what you are saying, It's really hard "today" to do our work using a tablet. But the author is saying that the monopoly that MS had on the past no longer exists. Average people don't need a high-performace PC at their homes. Today android has a big market share. It is evolving really fast, you can run it on phones, tablets, cameras, micro-pc (the little usb that you can plug on the tv), media servers and so many other devices that we don't even know about. So if we wait, soon or later it will start to run on PC too, once they enhance the user experience to properly multi-taks, developers will be able to make better apps for it. So in the future windows's pc might be the minority or even die.

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 9:58 AM 0

9. scriptwriter

Posts: 396; Member since: Nov 13, 2012

I used to love Windows Mobile before it changed to Windows Phone. It was litteraly like having a pocket sized pc in your pocket with UI not that much different from the desktop version. As soon as Windows Phone 7 came out, i went off them. Theres very little in the way of customization apart from changing the colours of some UI textures. If they were to take it back to the old UI and make it look like windows 7 or windows 8 without the stupid start screen, then i may go back to Windows Phone. For time being, Im still over the moon with Android.

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 8:49 AM 3

46. TA700

Posts: 83; Member since: Mar 29, 2013

Same here, had MS continued with WM, I would probably not have gone Android. Android still do not have full screen handwriting recognition, IR port seem new to android but was there long ago on WM. The biggest problem back then was mainly due to the much weaker CPU & graphics It makes me sick that somehow MS thinks everyone wants an apple, Windows phone went that way, now Windows 8 (the Metro part) is halfway there as well.

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 12:18 PM 0

47. TA700

Posts: 83; Member since: Mar 29, 2013

Got to add that I don't detest Metro, it's great on a tablet but not what I want on the desktop. It just look to me had RT been a success, MS will sooner or later drop the 'desktop' part.

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 12:32 PM 0

7. dickwyn

Posts: 621; Member since: May 07, 2012

but nevertheless the PC is here to stay no matter how the mobile world is looking. Nothing can replace the productivity of a windows/mac

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 8:48 AM 5

24. pellegrini

Posts: 84; Member since: Jun 14, 2012

Today not everybody needs a PC. I once heard a very interesting argument about the PCxTablet. Today, the first is the best to produce "content" but Tablets are way better to consume it. Sure that tablet's apps have their limitations, even the OS isn't very multi-task for the user yet (Just try to watch a movie in youtube app from android, pause it to read an e-mail and go back, you will need to buffer the video again.). But as the tech evolves, the mobile OS will and these issues will be address too. In the end only people that really demand a high productivity will buy a PC.

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 9:15 AM 2

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