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> Today is the opposite: Apple reigns supreme over the computing landscape. Really wonder where this comes from. Rough estimates of worldwide users: - Window

> Today is the opposite: Apple reigns supreme over the computing landscape. Really wonder where this comes from. Rough estimates of worldwide users: - Windows: 1.5 billion - macOS: 100 million - Android: 2.8 billion - iOS: 700 million That's hardly "Apple reigning supreme".

blatchcorn 5y ago
No way are there 1.5bn windows users. More like 1bn legacy machines that are padding the numbers
- hota_mazi 5y ago
  Look it up yourself, I averaged numbers from various sources, which all agree that this is the ball park.
  - andi999 5y ago
    Probably 500 Million in China alone running windows.
- TremendousJudge 5y ago
  computer usage is very different outside the US
- quietbritishjim 5y ago
  How could it not be 1.5bn? Every business desktop and laptop computer runs MS Windows and Office (yes we all know there are exceptions but they're negligable relatively speaking). If anything, I'm surprised it's that few.
e12e 5y ago
so.. Assuming some overlap, some 5-7bn people lack access to a pc or smartphone?
- hota_mazi 5y ago
  I was startled as well once I added these numbers. I hope this number is much smaller and the gap we are looking at is more due to unreported usages.
- andi999 5y ago
  Maybe they do not have a dedicated device. It seem 65% or 4.7 billion people have access to the internet.
burlesona 5y ago
I mostly agree with this point. The only way it’s true is that iPhone is so popular and is both a higher-spending consumer and less fragmented platform compared to android, so most mobile software goes iPhone first. But IMO there really isn’t a single dominant platform right now, with Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and Linux all being highly relevant in different niches.
defaultname 5y ago
Apple has 1.65 billion active devices (iPhone, iPad, Mac). 1 billion active iPhones alone. That's neither here nor there, though, and I would hardly say that means that Apple "reigns supreme", or remotely close. It seems like they're an important player among important players. Microsoft, Apple, Google (with a subscript of Samsung), and to a much lesser degree Sony dictate our digital life now.
gffrd 5y ago
I think "reigning supreme" is about more than units … I think of "mindshare" and per-unit value. 20 years ago, if you asked people "what does a computer look like?" they thought of Windows, and they were excited about it. Today, it's Apple. It's the classic "what devices 16 year olds are asking their parents for?" survey, which hovers around like 90% pro-Apple. That's a future dollar, and one that will very likely go to Apple (unless they trip over themselves / get too high on their supply). Also! Apple undoubtedly gets the most value-per-unit … App store sales ($138/user/year! [1]), iCloud subs, branded accessories, line-extension stuff (homePod, Apple TV, etc.). So while they may not dominate in unit percentage, they probably get like 80% of the total revenue* in the space. * kneejerk based on prior revenue breakdowns + gut feeling alone [1] https://sensortower.com/blog/revenue-per-iphone-2020 https://sensortower.com/blog/revenue-per-iphone-2020
- Krasnol 5y ago
  > 20 years ago, if you asked people "what does a computer look like?" they thought of Windows, and they were excited about it. Today, it's Apple. Where? > App store sales ($138/user/year! [1]), iCloud subs, branded accessories, line-extension stuff Yeah...because everything there is expensive and therefore aims for the upper class (or people who want to look like it). But I'm quite sure they feel very much supreme.
- EMM_386 5y ago
  > It's the classic "what devices 16 year olds are asking their parents for?" survey, which hovers around like 90% pro-Apple. Are you sure about that? Windows dominates the high-end computer gaming market, which a lot of this demographic is into. That's a $40+ billion market, representing a large number of Windows users.
  - gffrd 5y ago
    I was thinking mostly about phones … can't speak to gaming related things, but I suspect you're right!
- hota_mazi 5y ago
  > 20 years ago, if you asked people "what does a computer look like?" they thought of Windows, and they were excited about it. Today, it's Apple. Only in America. Most people in the rest of the world doesn't use Apple computers or phones. And asking your friends and family is the text book definition of selection bias, so not exactly a reliable data point...
TheRealDunkirk 5y ago
It doesn't really FEEL like Windows has this kind of market share, does it? I think if you could factor out corporate sales data from market share figures, this would be much more instructive, and would explain why Windows is no longer driving the computing world. From my circle of family, friends, and acquaintances, I think the desktop market share is more like 50/50 (vs Mac) when people are voting with their own dollars.
- zeusk 5y ago
  Look outside of US and you'll know why.
- lostmsu 5y ago
  What do you mean by doesn't feel? Look at Wikipedia client statistics for instance: https://stats.wikimedia.org/wikimedia/squids/SquidReportOperatingSystems.htm https://stats.wikimedia.org/wikimedia/squids/SquidReportOper... Outside of US no amount of marketing would convince significant number of people to buy a product, that has nearly 100% same functionality (maybe even slightly less) for 2x markup for home. Elsewhere they just convinced most people, that iPhone is a status thing.

blatchcorn 5y ago

No way are there 1.5bn windows users. More like 1bn legacy machines that are padding the numbers

hota_mazi 5y ago
Look it up yourself, I averaged numbers from various sources, which all agree that this is the ball park.
- andi999 5y ago
  Probably 500 Million in China alone running windows.
TremendousJudge 5y ago
computer usage is very different outside the US
quietbritishjim 5y ago
How could it not be 1.5bn? Every business desktop and laptop computer runs MS Windows and Office (yes we all know there are exceptions but they're negligable relatively speaking). If anything, I'm surprised it's that few.

e12e 5y ago

so.. Assuming some overlap, some 5-7bn people lack access to a pc or smartphone?

hota_mazi 5y ago
I was startled as well once I added these numbers. I hope this number is much smaller and the gap we are looking at is more due to unreported usages.
andi999 5y ago
Maybe they do not have a dedicated device. It seem 65% or 4.7 billion people have access to the internet.

burlesona 5y ago

I mostly agree with this point. The only way it’s true is that iPhone is so popular and is both a higher-spending consumer and less fragmented platform compared to android, so most mobile software goes iPhone first. But IMO there really isn’t a single dominant platform right now, with Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and Linux all being highly relevant in different niches.

defaultname 5y ago

Apple has 1.65 billion active devices (iPhone, iPad, Mac). 1 billion active iPhones alone. That's neither here nor there, though, and I would hardly say that means that Apple "reigns supreme", or remotely close. It seems like they're an important player among important players. Microsoft, Apple, Google (with a subscript of Samsung), and to a much lesser degree Sony dictate our digital life now.

gffrd 5y ago

I think "reigning supreme" is about more than units … I think of "mindshare" and per-unit value. 20 years ago, if you asked people "what does a computer look like?" they thought of Windows, and they were excited about it. Today, it's Apple. It's the classic "what devices 16 year olds are asking their parents for?" survey, which hovers around like 90% pro-Apple. That's a future dollar, and one that will very likely go to Apple (unless they trip over themselves / get too high on their supply). Also! Apple undoubtedly gets the most value-per-unit … App store sales ($138/user/year! [1]), iCloud subs, branded accessories, line-extension stuff (homePod, Apple TV, etc.). So while they may not dominate in unit percentage, they probably get like 80% of the total revenue* in the space. * kneejerk based on prior revenue breakdowns + gut feeling alone [1] https://sensortower.com/blog/revenue-per-iphone-2020 https://sensortower.com/blog/revenue-per-iphone-2020

Krasnol 5y ago
> 20 years ago, if you asked people "what does a computer look like?" they thought of Windows, and they were excited about it. Today, it's Apple. Where? > App store sales ($138/user/year! [1]), iCloud subs, branded accessories, line-extension stuff Yeah...because everything there is expensive and therefore aims for the upper class (or people who want to look like it). But I'm quite sure they feel very much supreme.
EMM_386 5y ago
> It's the classic "what devices 16 year olds are asking their parents for?" survey, which hovers around like 90% pro-Apple. Are you sure about that? Windows dominates the high-end computer gaming market, which a lot of this demographic is into. That's a $40+ billion market, representing a large number of Windows users.
- gffrd 5y ago
  I was thinking mostly about phones … can't speak to gaming related things, but I suspect you're right!
hota_mazi 5y ago
> 20 years ago, if you asked people "what does a computer look like?" they thought of Windows, and they were excited about it. Today, it's Apple. Only in America. Most people in the rest of the world doesn't use Apple computers or phones. And asking your friends and family is the text book definition of selection bias, so not exactly a reliable data point...

TheRealDunkirk 5y ago

It doesn't really FEEL like Windows has this kind of market share, does it? I think if you could factor out corporate sales data from market share figures, this would be much more instructive, and would explain why Windows is no longer driving the computing world. From my circle of family, friends, and acquaintances, I think the desktop market share is more like 50/50 (vs Mac) when people are voting with their own dollars.

zeusk 5y ago
Look outside of US and you'll know why.
lostmsu 5y ago
What do you mean by doesn't feel? Look at Wikipedia client statistics for instance: https://stats.wikimedia.org/wikimedia/squids/SquidReportOperatingSystems.htm https://stats.wikimedia.org/wikimedia/squids/SquidReportOper... Outside of US no amount of marketing would convince significant number of people to buy a product, that has nearly 100% same functionality (maybe even slightly less) for 2x markup for home. Elsewhere they just convinced most people, that iPhone is a status thing.