Windows extends operating system lead

Windows is the clear market leader

February was a good month for Microsoft in the operating system stakes, as the firm increased its market share and garnered increasing interest from users in the next version of Windows.

Microsoft's market share among operating systems accessing the web grew from 88.26 per cent in January to 89.37 per cent last month, according to new figures from web metrics firm Net Applications.

Meanwhile, Apple's share for the Mac OS fell very slightly from 9.93 per cent to 9.71 over the same period, according to the stats.

Windows 7 usage statistics, meanwhile, showed strong peaks at the weekends, according to a separate report by Net Applications.

"This is an indication of strong interest in Windows 7, since it does not come pre-installed on a computer, like Vista," the report said.

"Beta users are taking the time and effort to install it on their home computers, since corporations generally prohibit beta operating systems to be used in production environments."

Apple is by far the most popular choice for mobile phone users when they go online. Another set of figures from Net Applications revealed the iPhone as the clear leader with 66.61 per cent mobile browsing market share.

Java ME was in second place with 9.06 per cent, while Windows Mobile third with 6.91 per cent. Google's Android is fast catching up, however, having already captured 6.15 per cent since its launch late last year.