Apr 04, 2017 11:19 AM EDT By Jordan Pine, UniversityHerald Reporter

Android has reached a milestone by surpassing Windows as the top Operating System (OS) for internet usage in the recent findings of the web analytics company StatCounter. Meanwhile, App Annie predicts that 2017 may be the year that Android app earnings will surpass the iOS, which it has not been able to accomplish despite having a larger user base.

This will be the first time that Android OS overtakes Windows as the leading OS when it comes to internet usage. Google's mobile OS internet usage share was at 37.93 percent while Windows devices posted 37.91 percent. The margin is very minimal, but the implications are big that Windows dominance is no longer secure particularly with the influx of Android smartphones.

Android OS has reached an important milestone, which was deemed "unthinkable" five years ago according to Aodhan Cullen, CEO of StatCounter. In January 2012, Windows global internet usage share was at a whopping 82 percent while Android is at a mere 2.2 percent, Independent reported. However, all these have changed with usage habits shifting more on mobile and away from desktops.

Windows still dominated the desktop landscape but desktops have been experiencing poor sales for the last five years. Moreover, Microsoft was unable to ride on the smartphone boom with its ill-fated Windows phone.

Nonetheless, Windows is still the top OS in regions like Europe with 51.7 percent and North America with 39.5 percent internet usage share. However, Android is the sure winner in Asia with 52.2 percent share as against Windows 29.2 percent as revealed by the StatCounter data.

Incidentally, StatCounter studied the data across various devices like desktops, laptops, tablets and smartphones. The company looked into 2.5 million websites that generated more than 15 billion of traffic per month and then monitored the usage of the two OS over time.

Meanwhile, Android is still unable to beat iOS in the Western market but it is the leading OS among internet users from Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. Android fails to penetrate the Chinese market, which is the most profitable market for iOS apps.

iOS apps earnings accounted for a big bulk of the 35 billion dollars paid to publishers in both iOS and Android app stores. This is a big setback for Android especially since it has a much bigger user base. However, App Annie predicts that 2017 may be another breakthrough for Google for this may be the year its app earnings will overtake iOS, Tech Crunch reported.

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