You might have noticed more tech fans embracing Chrome as their primary browser, and recent stats back up the anecdotal evidence: in November, Google’s browser took 25.69 percent of the worldwide market (up from 4.66 percent in November 2009) compared to Firefox‘s 25.23 percent.
Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, often derided as clunky and bloated, maintains a strong lead globally with 40.63 percent, according to data from research firm StatCounter Global Stats.
“We can look forward to a fascinating battle between Microsoft and Google as the pace of growth of Chrome suggests that it will become a real rival to Internet Explorer globally,” commented Aodhan Cullen, CEO, StatCounter, in a press release.
StatCounter looked at U.S. market share and found Firefox still in second place at 20.09 percent while Chrome is closing in at 17 percent. IE takes the top spot at 50 percent.
Why is IE so popular? One well-worn reason is the fact that IE is the default browser on many desktops and notebooks, and users may not be aware of other browser options.
In mobile browser news, the leading mobile browser by far is Apple’s Safari, CNET writes, “but it plunged 7 percentage points to 55.0 percent of usage in November.”
This article was originally published in Future of Media
