Mozilla has released a new Firefox Hardware Report tool designed to help developers determine what hardware they should be targeting to reach the widest possible audience. The data, sourced from the Firefox Telemetry system, is aggregated and anonymized then published on the report website.
While I'm sure that data is helpful to developers, it also provides a detailed look at the current state of the dwindling PC market (among those that use Firefox, anyway).
To say that it's sad would be an understatement.
According to the latest data, Intel processors are found in 86 percent of machines although nearly 70 percent of processors only have two physical cores and clock speeds are most commonly in the 2.3GHz to 2.69GHz range. As for memory, a third of all users only have 4GB of RAM with 2GB being the next most common amount (in 18.74 percent of systems).
At this point, it should come as little surprise that the majority of PCs - 44.86 percent - are running Windows 7. Microsoft's latest OS is only found on 25.67 percent of machines while Windows XP, an operating system released more than 15 years ago, accounts for 10.36 percent of the share.
The predominant display resolution, meanwhile, is 1,366 x 768 with Intel-branded (integrated) GPUs being the most popular.
The data may be difficult for hardware enthusiasts to process but it's very much a reality. With consumers now utilizing smartphones and tablets as their primary devices, there is little reason for them to spend money on a new PC.
Image courtesy 123RF