Chrome's extraordinary rise since its launch four years ago continues, as Google overtakes Microsoft's IE in worldwide users.
Google
has unseated rival Microsoft as global usage of Googles Chrome browser passed
that of Microsoft's Internet Explorer for the first time, according to
StatCounter, an independent Website analytics company.
StatCounter
data from more than 15 billion page views (4 billion from the United States;
850 million from the United Kingdom) for the full month of May shows Chrome
took 32.43 percent of the worldwide market, compared with 32.12 percent for IE
and 25.55 percent for Firefox.
StatCounter
termed the competition a battle royale between Chrome, IE and Firefox, as
mobile devices and increased Web access worldwide keep the three players
hustling for market share.
While
attention has recently been focused on the battle between Chrome and IE,
not-for-profit Mozillas Firefox with its loyal membership base should not be
underestimated, Aodhan Cullen, CEO of StatCounter said in a prepared statement.
He pointed out that an upswing of more than 0.6 percent in Firefox usage from
April to May 2012 helped to push Chrome into pole position.
Apples
Safari browser placed fourth with 7.09 percent, followed by Opera with 1.77
percent, and all others accounting for 1.04 percent user share. Rumors surfaced
last week that social networking site Facebook was mulling a purchase of Opera
to better compete with Chrome. The move would give Facebook an underlying
browser architecture, including a mobile platform, without having to build one
from scratch.
Microsoft
still holds a comfortable lead in the United States with the IE browser,
capturing 38.35 percent of the market in May, while Chrome trailed with 23.66
percent. Firefox followed close behind in third place with 22.41 percent market
share, while other browsers (1.41 percent) and Opera (0.67 percent) rounded out
the top five.
Chromes
achievement is even more impressive when considering the fact the browser
didnt even exist four years ago. However, Microsofts latest edition of IE and
Firefoxs continued popularity indicate the browser battles will likely
continueand escalate.
The
browser wars are back with a vengeance, Cullen said. This time there are
three major players competing for the top spot, but ultimately, the real winner
will be the end user who can look forward to more choice and innovation as a
result of this increased competition.
As
the number of mobile Web users steadily increases, the major browsers are
fine-tuning mobile versions in order to capture the growing market. In
February, Google introduced Chrome for Android-running devices, which has
likely been aiding in Chromes rise. According to a May 16 report from Gartner,
devices running Googles Android OS accounted for more than 56 percent of the
smartphones that shipped during the first quarter.
Nathan Eddy is Associate Editor, Midmarket, at eWEEK.com. Before joining eWEEK.com, Nate was a writer with ChannelWeb and he served as an editor at FierceMarkets. He is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
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for "Google Chrome Browser Overtakes Internet Explorer Globally"
Has Microsoft produced anything new beyond mere re-releases of existing products since Gates stepped down? I realize they have gazillions of dollars so they can still around for a long long time but it feels like a slow drawn out path to mediocrity during the Ballmer era....
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