Federica Laricchia
Research expert covering the global consumer technology industry
Operating systems in Italy - statistics & facts
In Italy, from Sicily to the Dolomites, Android is the undisputed king of smartphones, but when it comes to tablets, it's head-to-head with Apple. This operating system (OS) showdown mirrors a larger global trend, where the competition between Android and iOS continues to dominate the tech landscape. An operating system (OS) is the software on which tech devices run, allowing us to perform actions on them, from surfing the internet to texting, to playing games. Over the past decades, the operating system industry has massively developed globally, as have its subsegments, including the mobile OS, tablet OS, computer OS, and gaming console OS markets. Similarly, the industry has grown in Italy, where consumer electronics devices play a major role in the everyday lives of the country’s inhabitants.
Regardless of the device, the future brings exciting features for operating systems, supported by the development of new technologies, like AI. Whether it is Apple or Google, key market players will continue innovating such digital infrastructures, making the devices better, faster, and more fun to use.
Android rules over the Italian mobile OS market
Since the introduction of smartphones in Italy, Apple and Samsung have always disputed the leading position in the mobile device market. In 2023, Apple managed to take over Samsung, controlling almost one third of the industry. However, since 2012, Google’s Android has been by far the dominant mobile operating system in the country, recording a market share of nearly 70 percent in 2023. This difference in trend in the mobile device vendor and mobile OS industries resides in Android being an open-source software and, thus, compatible with devices manufactured by many different brands, whereas only iPhones can run on iOS, limiting the opportunity to acquire a greater market share. Over the years, both Apple and Google have released new OS versions. For instance, in 2024, Android 13 was the most popular OS version in Italy, followed by the most recent Android 14, released in October 2023.The Italian tablet OS market: a 50:50 duel
Similarly to the smartphone market, Apple and Samsung are the leading tablet vendors and, consequently, Apple and Android are the main tablet OS. In 2023, Apple controlled almost half of the Italian tablet market, followed by Samsung, Huawei, and other brands running on Android. In the tablet OS market, Apple is stronger than in the smartphone OS industry: despite all major tablet vendors running their tablets on Android, Google’s OS occupied just over half of the tablet OS market in 2023, with iPadOS holding the remaining part.Regardless of the device, the future brings exciting features for operating systems, supported by the development of new technologies, like AI. Whether it is Apple or Google, key market players will continue innovating such digital infrastructures, making the devices better, faster, and more fun to use.
