Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications

    Internet Explorer Takes Another Market-Share Hit

    By
    Matthew Hicks
    -
    November 1, 2004
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Challenges to Microsofts Web browser dominance are mounting as Internet Explorer loses more market share to open-source rival Mozilla.

      Microsoft Corp.s Internet Explorer lost nearly a percentage point in market share in the past seven weeks and is nearing a loss of 3 percentage points since its decline first began in early June, Web analytics provider WebSideStory Inc. reported Monday.

      Internet Explorer dropped to 92.9 percent of the browser market as of Oct. 29,which is a decline of 0.8 percentage points since WebSideStorys last market-share report on Sept. 10 and a 2.6 percentage point drop overall.

      Firefox, the Mozilla Foundations standalone browser, was the biggest beneficiary of IEs most recent losses, WebSideStory analyst Geoff Johnston said. WebSideStory broke out Firefoxs share for the first time, and the alternative browser comprised 3 percent of the market.

      “Is this just a buzz thing or a fad?” Johnston asked. “Its hard to tell, but it has to be encouraging if you are the Mozilla Firefox guys that [IEs losses] have gone on for about five months.”

      Officials from Mozilla were not available to comment on the latest market-share numbers.

      Firefox wasnt alone in making inroads against IE. Taken together, browsers from Mozilla and America Online Inc.s Netscape Communications subsidiary accounted for 6 percent of the market, a jump of 2.48 percentage points since September.

      /zimages/6/28571.gifReady for the AOL Browser? Click here to read more.

      Other browsers, mainly Opera Software ASAs namesake browser and Apple Computer Inc.s Safari browser, crossed the 1 percent line, gaining 0.1 percentage points to make up 1.1 percent of the browser market, according to San Diego-based WebSideStory.

      Microsoft officials attributed the latest market-share shifts to the attention being given to Firefox and to advanced users trying out the IE alternative.

      “Were seeing the natural ebb and flow of a competitive marketplace [as] something new has come on the market,” said Gary Schare, a director in Microsofts Windows client division.

      Firefox has gained widespread attention since Mozilla released a preview of Version 1.0 in September and stepped up its grass-roots marketing efforts. The official launch of Firefox 1.0 is set for Nov. 9, and Mozilla is releasing a string of final test versions beforehand, foundation officials have said.

      Next Page: Microsoft still quiet on IE development plans.

      Quiet on IE Plans


      On the marketing front, Mozilla has exceeded its fund-raising goal for a campaign begun in October to promote the Firefox launch and run an advertisement in The New York Times. As of Saturday, it had garnered $250,000 in donations from more than 10,000 donors, according to an announcement on the Spread Firefox Web site.

      In coming weeks, Mozilla plans to run the ad, including the names of donors, to trumpet the Firefox milestone.

      As for IE, Microsoft has provided few details about its development plans. In the past, the company has brushed aside market-share losses by pointing out that the browser remains dominant.

      Schare said Microsoft does need to do a better job of explaining the benefits of IE and of promoting hundreds, if not thousands, of third-party add-ons for IE that provide advanced functionality. The add-ons vary from search-engine toolbars, such as the Google Toolbar, to browsers developed on top of IE, such as Avant Browser.

      He remained confident that users would stick with IE once they compare it with the final version of Firefox 1.0.

      “We think theyll find the site compatibility with IE is better, the support from Microsoft is better and that the compatibility with business applications is better—all the things that drove them to use IE in the first place,” he said.

      But at least one third-party application developer is expanding its support to include Firefox. A9.com Inc., Amazon.com Inc.s search company, on Monday released a version of its search toolbar to run with Firefox. Previously, the toolbar only supported IE.

      /zimages/6/28571.gifClick here for a step-by-step guide on how to replace Internet Explorer.

      Internet Explorers sustained market-share drop has surprised WebSideStorys Johnston. Though the decline leveled off a bit between August and September, it has regained momentum since mid-September, he said.

      Still, he said it is unlikely that IE will drop more than another percentage point or two. Instead, Microsoft is likely to respond to the increased competition, such as with a new version of the browser, he said.

      “Even crossing 3 percent is a major accomplishment, and I expect that it will level out at some point,” Johnston said. “This has awoken Microsoft to [a] new challenge … and they dont like being beaten.”

      Microsoft has not released a major version of Internet Explorer in three years, since it launched IE 6. The company increasingly has tied IE development to the development path for its Windows operating system.

      Schare said Microsoft is working on a release of an IE update to coincide with the release of Windows Longhorn.

      Windows XP Service Pack 2, released in August, did include some IE changes, mainly centered on security. SP2 also provided blocking for browser pop-up ads, a feature that has been available in most alternative browsers for years.

      /zimages/6/28571.gifCheck out eWEEK.coms for the latest news, reviews and analysis about productivity and business solutions.

      /zimages/6/77042.gif

      Be sure to add our eWEEK.com enterprise applications news feed to your RSS newsreader or My Yahoo page

      Matthew Hicks
      As an online reporter for eWEEK.com, Matt Hicks covers the fast-changing developments in Internet technologies. His coverage includes the growing field of Web conferencing software and services. With eight years as a business and technology journalist, Matt has gained insight into the market strategies of IT vendors as well as the needs of enterprise IT managers. He joined Ziff Davis in 1999 as a staff writer for the former Strategies section of eWEEK, where he wrote in-depth features about corporate strategies for e-business and enterprise software. In 2002, he moved to the News department at the magazine as a senior writer specializing in coverage of database software and enterprise networking. Later that year Matt started a yearlong fellowship in Washington, DC, after being awarded an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellowship for Journalist. As a fellow, he spent nine months working on policy issues, including technology policy, in for a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives. He rejoined Ziff Davis in August 2003 as a reporter dedicated to online coverage for eWEEK.com. Along with Web conferencing, he follows search engines, Web browsers, speech technology and the Internet domain-naming system.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×