Meanwhile, Net Applications reported that Apple's OS X recorded its fourth consecutive month of share decline in July, losing nearly two-tenths of a percentage point, the largest single-month drop in over a year and a half.
Since the beginning of 2010, Mac OS X has lost share in five of seven months. It now stands at 5%, the same number as in February 2010 and off the operating system's peak of 5.3% in October 2009, the month Microsoft debuted Windows 7.
Net Applications' numbers don't equate to sales -- two weeks ago Apple reported it
sold a record 3.5 million Macs in the second quarter -- but they do show that Windows 7 is fueling an even bigger PC sales boom relative to last year's usage share standings. Windows 7, for example, now powers three times the number of machines than does Mac OS X.
Not all is gloomy for Apple. According to Net Applications, the iPhone's operating system accounted for seven-tenths of one percent of
all OSes online in July -- not just mobile operating systems -- a 19% jump from the month before.
July was the first full month that the iPhone 4 was available in the U.S. and several other countries.
In a note on its Web site, Net Applications pointed out that the gain came amid reports of
antenna and reception problems in the iPhone 4 throughout much of July. However, the company also said that the jump in share was "typical prior to the release of a major upgrade" as buyers delay purchases until a new version of an operating system or device is available.
Net Applications had a point. The first full month after the introduction of the iPhone 3G in the summer of 2008, iPhone usage share leaped 63%. Two months after the debut of last year's iPhone 3GS, its share was 20% above pre-launch levels.
Net Applications'
operating system share data can be found on its Web site.
Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news for Computerworld. Follow Gregg on Twitter at @gkeizer or subscribe to Gregg's RSS feed. His e-mail address is gkeizer@ix.netcom.com.
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