Popular programming languages, mobile apps, and PC sales growth: Tech research roundup

C and Java remain the most popular languages in the Tiobe community index, but Python is stalking them and will likely take top spot in the future. The difference in apparent popularity is remarkably small, with just 0.67% between C and Python. 

For more see: Programming languages: Python could soon overtake C and Java as most popular

Data science and machine-learning professionals have driven adoption of the Python programming language, according a survey by Anaconda. Most respondents (63%) said they used Python frequently or always, while 71% of educators said they're teaching data science with Python.

For more see: Top programming language for data science: Python still rules, followed by SQL

App developers are having a good year, according to researcher App Annie, which found users spent $34 billion on apps in Q2 of 2021. Android and iPhone users spent $7 billion more in Q2 than last year and $2 billion more than Q1 2021. 

For more see: App market breaks all-time record with $34 billion spent in Q2

Over 60% of Android apps contain security vulnerabilities, with the average number of bugs per-app totalling a whopping 39 vulnerabilities. These figures are based on data presented by Atlas VPN, and a report by CyRC.

For more see: The Android apps on your phone each have 39 security vulnerabilities on average

Global PC shipments bounced back in the second quarter of 2020, after pandemic-related supply chain and logistics problems declined enough for the industry to meet strong consumer demand. Worldwide, PC shipments came to 64.8 million units in the second quarter of 2020, according to Gartner, representing a 2.8% year-over-year increase.

For more see: PC market bounces back in Q2, Gartner and IDC report

Analyst IDC also reported that PC shipments in Western Europe grew by 6.5% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2021. Lenovo was the market leader in EMEA in Q2, with a growth of 5.5% and a 25.8% share, followed by HP, whose shipments shrank 4.3%. 

For more see: Lenovo climbs as PC sales grow despite impact of chip shortages

Chromebooks have outperformed the rest of the industry product categories with a 75% annual growth and a shipment volume of 11.9 million units in Q2. Overall, the worldwide PC market posted growth in shipments of 10% to 121.7 million units, according to Canalys data. 

For more see: Chromebooks dominate worldwide PC market with 75% annual growth

Apple commissioned a Forrester report looking at the economic impact of the Mac. The research says organisations can realise $843 cost savings per Mac over its lifetime with the M1 chip. In a 2019 study by Forrester, the savings over three years per Mac were $678. 

For more see: Apple makes its M1 Mac case to enterprises

Finally, Microsoft's fourth quarter results blew away expectations as commercial cloud revenue grew 36% and the company saw strong growth in Office 365, LinkedIn and Dynamics. The software and cloud giant reported fourth quarter revenue of $46.2 billion, up 21% from a year ago.

For more see: Microsoft rides Azure, cloud commercial revenue in strong Q4