Major Web Browsers Global Market Share – November 2010

As the month of November comes to an end, we have a fresh set of statistics from Net Applications about the performance of the major web browsers.  Let’s take a look and see if we can find some surprises, or if it’s the same pattern as previous months.

1. Internet Explorer:  58.26 less 59.18 = (0.92)
2. Firefox:  22.75 less 22.83 = (0.08)
3. Chrome:  9.25 less 8.50 = 0.75
4. Safari:  5.55 less 5.36 = 0.19
5. Opera:  2.20 less 2.29 = (0.09)
6. Other:  1.99 less 1.85 = 0.14

COMMENTS:

There were no surprises in November.  Microsoft has been unable to contain the bleeding of its flagship browser.  It lost almost one percentage point and the picture is a free fall of a once formidable player in the browsing arena.  The mojo has been lost and a compass is badly needed to find the Northern route.

Mozilla is doing all it can to reverse the downward trend of Firefox.  It has been losing market share for the previous seven months and the once sought landmark of the 25 percent landmarks is now only a literary illusion.

Google Chrome is the shining star of the movie.  It has a solid third place and gaining ground even as we speak.  In November it advanced 0.75 percent which gives you a good idea of how healthy this player is.  It’s heading for second place, if you ask me.

Apple Safari is also moving forward thanks to the stamina provided by the instant hit, the iPad.  This electronic darling is rapidly becoming a mainstream gadget pulling Apple’s browser to higher ground.

Norwegian Opera is rather stagnant with a slender 2.2 percent market share.  The action is elsewhere—in the mobile phone arena where it’s king.  I enjoy using Opera Mini in my Chinese cellphone.  Easy to use, excellent layout of web pages and extremely fast.  It is here where Opera really shines.

That’s it folks.  The losers for November were Internet Explorer and Firefox.  The clear winners were Chrome and Safari.  We’ll meet again next year and see what the numbers say.  Will it be more of the same?  Good Day.

Source:  Net Applications

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Major Web Browsers Global Market Share – July 2010

It’s amazing how far reaching the Internet has become.  The Cloud, as it is called, has permeated into just about every activity of our modern societies.  It’s like a technological hub where different technologies converge, (e.g., radio, television, telephone, fax and whole lot more.)  The vehicle to reach the Cloud is the Web browser, and for this reason alone, the war to capture global market share has grown more intense during the last few years.

Net Applications is a company that best monitors the industry and is respected by experts in the field.  Below are the latest statistics released by Net Applications for the month of July 2010.  Let’s see the latest picture.

1. Internet Explorer:  60.74
2. Firefox:  22.91
3. Chrome:  7.16
4. Safari:  5.09
5. Opera:  2.45
6. Others:  1.66

COMMENTS:

Microsoft has done it again—it has reversed Internet Explorer’s declining trend for two consecutive months.  In July it gained 0.42 market share points which is amazing.  The hemorrhage has been finally stopped.  Microsoft’s capacity to spin on a dime is legendary.  On several occasions Microsoft’s resilience has been demonstrated.  They are known to have clawed back to their original dominance of a market with a tooth and nail attitude.

Microsoft Internet Explorer has experienced a long slow browser usage market share decline featuring challenges from Firefox on Windows, Safari on Mac OS, Opera in Europe and Asia, and recently Google Chrome has been making some noise.

But, Microsoft has been very determined in their desires to ensure Internet Explorer remains the dominant browser.  They have moved some of their most talented engineering and management talent to Internet Explorer, have been releasing feature and security updates much more frequently, and finally have been advertising it.

Internet Explorer 8, the currently available version, has become the most used browser version in the world, and has given users confidence that Microsoft is truly focused on optimizing the Internet Explorer user experience.  Microsoft has also been very open with the development of IE9, due later this year and promising to deliver huge browser rendering speed improvements. Their next challenge is to strike on Apple’s darling—the iPad with Safari built in.  Apple is the first company to make the tablet attractive to the masses.

Mozilla Firefox is now reversing its trend, but in a negative way.  It lost 0.90 points in July—almost one whole point.  This was really a surprise—at least for me it was.  Firefox needs to put its act together and align its resources to combine amazing hardware, easy to use OS, an application delivery model with tons of options, book reader, games, productivity, and at least one compelling reason for customers to not choose the iPad to be truly competitive.  They need to monitor closely the emerging market of mobile devices.  That’s where the growth potential lies.

Google Chrome has decreased its drive and lost 0.08 points in July.  No big deal, but it shows that they are mortals and can be slowed down.  I’m sure they’ll be back with renovated strength.  They are also determined to become the dominant player in the browser’s domain.  They have all the money in the world to do it—plus the know how to back them up.

Apple Safari had a good performance and increased their global market share by 0.24 points.  They are continuing their rampant success in the mobile platforms.  There seems to be no obstacle for the huge success of the iPad, and their recent launch of the iPhone 4 was spectacular.  Even with the minor inconvenience of the faulty antenna, the gadget is still selling like hot cakes.  This impressive success of these products is trickling down to Safari browser and the numbers certainly show this situation.

Norwegian Opera is still chugging along—it gained 0.18 points in July.  They have planted their flag and have demonstrated to be a tough bone to chew.  Their presence in the mobile domain is absolutely intimidating to its competitors.  I don’t foresee any problems in the near future for Opera in this market.  They excel heads and shoulders over their competitors, with the exception of Apple which is doing extremely well with the iPhone and the iPod, as I mentioned earlier.

That’s the way I see things now; however anything can happen in this dynamic cut-throat scenario.  Now it’s time to wait for August figures and see what happens.  Till then, Good Day.

Source:  Net Applications

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Major Web Browsers Global Market Share – May 2010

The calendar page has turned once more.  It’s now June.  Soon we will be singing Christmas carols while contemplating our presents neatly stacked under the glittering Christmas tree.   Ho, Ho, Ho.  And the sand clock, continues to drip its minuscule grains of sand.

Since another month is gone, it’s time to see what Net Applications has brought us regarding the relentless race amongst the Web browsers players.  For me, this race is very exciting to watch.

These are the numbers, fresh from the oven.  Market share positions are expressed in percentages.

1. Internet Explorer 59.69
2. Firefox:  24.35
3. Chrome:  7.05
4. Safari:  4.77
5. Opera 2.43
6. Opera Mini:  0.74
7. Others:  0.96

COMMENTS:

Microsoft’s Internet Explorer can’t seem to stop its hemorrhage.  Last month its market share dropped 0.26 points.  Microsoft has been trying to rid the world of Internet Explorer 6, introduced in 2001 and now considered outmoded, slow, and insecure. Even though IE lost share overall, Microsoft can point to progress in upgrading: The various versions of IE8 accounted for 28.9 percent of usage.

Mozilla’s Firefox seems to be losing its steam.  Efforts made to break the 25 percent landmark were lost.  It has been losing ground for two consecutive months.  The nearest it has advanced to break the elusive goal of 25 percent was in November 2009, where it clawed its way to 24.72 percent—a very short distance to reach the final golden goal line.

The clear winner during May’s race was Google’s Chrome. It gained 0.32 points.  Chrome launched in September 2008, but it wasn’t until the latter half of 2009 that the browser got its legs under it.  If Chrome grows a full percentage point every two months, it will crack 10 percent market share by Dec. 1, solid growth for a browser that launched in September 2008.  There is no reason to think Chrome can’t crack double digits this year. Google is more aggressively advertising the browser on Websites such as ESPN.com and the New York Times.  Its solid third place is well earned.

Fourth-place Safari from Apple rose 0.1 percentage points to 4.77 percent.  Safari hangs around as the browser for Macs and should get traction from the iPad, which has sold more than 2 million units in two months.  Net Applications also released statistics for iPad use, showing gradual gains since the Apple tablet’s release. With the iPad now for sale internationally, usage peaked May 29 with 0.17 percent.

Norwegian-made Opera kept its ground in May.  It still hold fifth place after gaining 0.13 points last month.  This player has worked hard to maintain a reputation of an innovative competitor and willing to fight tooth and nail to attract more users to its camp.  It has performed extremely well in the mobile arena where it holds a predominant position.

The browser market has become hotly competitive with new features being built in to support new Web standards. Even Microsoft, long considered a technology laggard even as its browser dominated, is back in the game with aggressive work developing IE9.

I’m still looking forward to see Firefox reach the Magic Kingdom of 25 percent.  Good Day.

Source:  Net Applications

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Major Web Browsers Global Market Share – March 2010

Net Applications released their statistics regarding the performance of the honchos in the browsing world out into the wild.  I was expecting them with great interest.  Would Microsoft Internet Explorer continue with its long hemorrhage?  Did Mozilla Firefox reach the historic landmark of the 25 percent?

This is what Net Applications had to say.

1. Microsoft Internet Explorer:  60.65 percent
2. Mozilla Firefox:  24.52 percent
3. Google Chrome:  6.13 percent
4. Apple Safari:  4.65 percent
5. Norwegian Opera:  2.37 percent
6. Norwegian Mini Opera:  0.78 percent
7. Others:  0.90 percent

COMMENTS:

Internet Explorer is on a free fall.  It lost o.93 percent last month—almost one whole point.  Gravity is pulling hard and it has no safety net to soften the fall.  Even Windows went South in March.  It was the only operating system with a negative performance.  Steve Ballmer, are you there?  Hello?

Firefox rebounded and escalated 0.29 percent in March.  It did not reach the 25 percent landmark, but it’s getting close.  Maybe in April they’ll give us the laurel leaf.

Chrome not surprisingly, is galloping like a Western cowboy.  It jumped 0.52 points which represents a hike of 9.3 percent.  They’re holding a solid third place and getting stronger as the calendar changes its leaves into Spring.

Safari advanced 0.20 percent continuing its ascending trend.  With the halo effect of the iPhone and the recent launch of the iPad, it’s anticipated there will be blue skies ahead, and plenty of wind in the sails.

Opera is holding its ground.  It moved upwards a mere 0.02 percent.  But that’s O.K., as long as they keep going up.  As you know, the real action is on mobile phones and gadgets.  That’s where the focus of their attention lies.

Mini Opera increased their global market share 0.14 points which represents a walloping 21.9 percent.  It was the most impressive performance of the pack.  Keep a close look on this horse.

If you’re interested in operating systems; below are statistics showing their market share for March 2010.

1. Windows:  91.58 percent (Down 0.54)
2. Mac:  5.33 percent (Up 0.31)
3. Linux:  1.03 percent (Up 0.05)
4. Java ME:  0.78 percent (Up 0.14)
5. iPhone:  0.51 percent (Up 0.01)
6. Symbian:  0.23 percent (Unchanged)
7. Others:  0.55 percent (Up 0.03)

That’s it guys.  The waiting game is on till next month.  Happy Easter!

Source:  Net Applications

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Major Web Browsers Global Market Share Performance – December 2009

After the dust and the champagne has settled down following the frantic days of Christmas and New Year, it’s time to analyze the performance of the major Web browsers cut-throat race.  It’s red hot and it will get even hotter.  Everyone wants to be the king of the hill, top of the heap.  I’m depending on Net Applications for my statistics, the best source to monitor web browsers performance around.

Net Applications measures browser usage share by tracking the systems used to visit the 40,000 sites it monitors for clients, which results in a pool of about 160 million unique visitors per month.

These are the standings for December 2009.

1. Internet Explorer:  62.69 percent
2. Firefox:  24.61 percent
3. Chrome:  4.63 percent
4. Safari:  4.46 percent
5. Opera:  2.40 percent
6. Opera Mini:  0.53 percent
7. Others:  0.67 percent

COMMENTS:

Microsoft Internet Explorer is on a free fall losing 0.93 percent in December, the latest slip in a decline that accelerated during the second half of 2009.  IE lost an average of 0.94 of a percentage point in each of the last six months of the year, nearly triple the 0.36 of a point average during the first six months.  The relentless decline of IE has been a boon to rivals, of course, which have collected new users at Microsoft’s expense. The market shares posted by Safari, Chrome and Opera were all records, for example.

Projecting IE’s slide using Net Applications’ data, Computerworld now estimates that the browser will fall under the 50 percent  share mark as early as mid-May if the dramatic negative trend of the last three months holds true.

Mozilla’s Firefox lost 0.1 of a percentage point, finishing with 24.6 percent, delaying for at least another month the No. 2 browser’s move past the 25% milestone.  This was a total surprise for me.  Totally unexpected.

Google’s Chrome overtook Apple’s Safari to become the world’s third-most popular browser just 16 months after its debut.  Chrome’s December increase of 0.7 of a percentage point, the largest since Google launched the browser in September 2008, may have been partly fueled by the release three weeks ago of beta versions for Mac and Linux.

Apple’s Safari was bumped to fourth place for the first time by Chrome.  Apple’s  Safari, which dropped into fourth place for the first time, posted a share of 4.46%.  Although it fell to the No. 4 spot, Safari didn’t stand still last month: It picked up 0.1 of a percentage point.

Opera Software’s flagship browser also gained ground in December, and accounted for 2.4% of all browsers used in the month, a record for the Norwegian-made program.  Opera is finally gaining global recognition after having a spectacular performance in the mobile phone arena.  I was surprised to see that the browser included in my recently purchased Chinese iPhone clone was precisely Opera.  Safari was also there.

Mobile browsing now accounts for 1.3 percent of all browsing.  The biggest usage share winners this holiday season were mobile devices.  Both Windows and Mac devices lost a small amount of share in December, while all major mobile operating systems attained large percentage gains.

Will Mozilla Firefox break the 25 percent barrier in January?  Let’s wait and see.  Until then, Good Day.

Source:   Net Applications

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Major Web Browsers Global Market Share – October 2009

All three of Internet Explorer’s main rivals gained a larger share of users worldwide in October 2009, new statistics show. According to Net Applications, which tracks browser usage globally through a network of 40,000 Web sites and some statistical processing, IE slipped from 65.71 to 64.69 percent of users in October 2009. That’s a decrease of 1.02 points equivalent to 1.6 percent.

Since December 2008, Internet Explorer has lost 5.81 points which represents a global market share loss of 8.24 percent.  Although a few tenths of a percent may sound small, multiplied by the millions of browser users over the Internet, it can mean a large absolute number of people.

Below are Net Application’s statistics for October 2009:

• Internet Explorer 64.69 percent
• Firefox:  24.05 percent
• Safari:  4.40 percent
• Chrome:  3.57 percent
• Opera:  2.16 percent
• Netscape:  0.33 percent
• Others:  9.79 percent

Google’s Chrome was Mr. October with the largest percentage market share gain—a walloping 12.6 percent.  Google’s presence on the Internet is absolutely ubiquitous, almost taking the whole “Cloud” by storm.  Android, the operating system for mobile phones, have also proved to be a total success.  I’m quite sure Symbian, Apple and Microsoft are watching closely.  Meanwhile, the battle to win total global dominance is on.

Mozilla Firefox is not sleeping on its laurels.  Firefox has been eroding Internet Explorer’s users’ base for more than a year.  In the near future, one out of every four Web users, will have a fox in their computers.  Is Steve Ballmer’s face turning red with envy?

Apple is enjoying a smooth ride under a clear blue sky with no dark clouds in the horizon.  Safari Web browser currently enjoys a healthy 4.40 percent global market share.  The “Halo Effect” of the iPod and the wonder gadget iPhone, is clearly showing off significantly.

Norwegian Opera is stagnant while AOL’s Netscape is following the way of the Dodo as we all know.  Another important lesson of Darwinism in the hyper-competitive cut-throat world of the Internet.  Until next month.  Good Day.

Source:   Net Applications

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Market Share of Major Web Browsers – September 2009

Every month I bite my nails waiting for the latest statistics of Net Applications regarding the performance of the big guys of the Web browsing industry.

Yesterday the numbers were released into the wild, and here there are for your ready reference:

1. Internet Explorer:  65.71 percent
2. Firefox:  23.75 percent
3. Safari:  4.24 percent
4. Chrome:  3.17 percent
5. Opera:  2.19 percent
6. Netscape:  0.35 percent
7. Others:  0.59 percent

COMMENTS:

Microsoft continues to leak red ink with its browser and they don’t seem to care.  They are presently focused in getting the greatest bang of Bing search engine.  If you ask me, I’ll say they’re doing a decent job and Google is closely monitoring what is going on with Bing.  In a year Internet Explorer has plunged 5.9 points, equivalent to 9 percent.  That’s bad.

Mozilla is doing what they do best, continue to make Firefox the best web browser around.  Their global market share has reached the critical mass of almost 25 percent.  That means that one out of every four Internet users are doing it with Firefox.   That’s great!

The third runner up is Apple Safari. Safari is enjoying the “halo effect” of the huge success of the Ipod, Mac computers and the ubiquitous iPhone.  Their boat is sailing under clear blue skies full speed ahead.

Google Chrome is a winner.  In a brief period of time, they have captured a little more than three percent which is excellent.  Google is using its brand name to push this baby and the results are evident. In September their market share grew 11.6 percent overshadowing the rest of its competitors.

Norwegian Opera had a modest gain of 0.15 percent in September and I anticipate they will do better next month.  Opera is making a big splash with its surfing software for gadgets and mobile phones.  This success is trickling down to Opera web browser as you can see.

Legendary AOL’s Netscape is dying slowly.  Its market share dwindled to 0.35 percent, down 0.14 points last month.  It will soon disappear into the sunset as many other great software of the past.  Their moment of glory is long gone.

That’s it guys.  Time to start biting my nails until Net Applications churns out a new set of statistics.  Good Day.

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No News Coming Out of Net Applications

Every month I keep an alert watch for Net Applications’ monthly information on the  market share performance of major web browsers.  Their report is usually available on the first day of each month.  Even though today is July 17th, there is no information coming out of Net Applications.

There’s a message at their website that reads, “This report’s data is currently under review. It will become available as soon as possible.” Does anyone knows what is going on?  Good Day!

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Major Web Browsers Market Share for May 2009

New browser usage statistics are fresh out of the oven for May from Net Applications.   Net Applications’ monthly surveys are conducted by sampling browser data from some 160 million visits to websites operated by the firm’s clients. The company describes the results as “market shares,” but they do not actually measure share of market in the traditional sense of revenue or unit sales. They do, however, provide a consistent methodology by which to gauge operating system trends.  It’s currently the most reliable source of information pertaining to Web browser’s market share performance.

These are the stats Net Applications published for May 2009:

Each browser has three figures. The first figure is May market share performance expressed in percentages, the second figure represents April market share also in percentages, and the third figure is the difference between May and  April.  Red figures represents a decrease  and green figures an increase in market share for that particular browser.  Here we go.

1. Internet Explorer: 65.50% minus 66.10% = 0.60%
2. Firefox: 22.51% minus  22.48% =  0.03%
3. Safari: 8.43% minus 8.21% = 0.22%
4. Chrome: 1.80% minus 1.42% = 0.38%
5. Netscape: 0.74% minus 0.82% =  0.08%
6. Opera: 0.72% minus 0.68% = 0.04%
7. Others: 0.30% minus 0.29% =  0.01%

Comments:

In May Redmond is still trying to change direction but not joy.  IE lost more than half a point.  Ballmer ain’t happy and a few ears might be pulled.

Firefox kept its ground increasing a mere 0.03% while Safari and Chrome were the clear winners of the month.  Chrome has demonstrated to be a formidable player, increasing its global market share to 1.80 percent.  Google is determined to make this baby fly pulling along its popular Internet applications like Google Docs.

Netscape is beginning to lose some of its steam, but still keeps hanging in there.  They have demonstrated to have extremely loyal users beyond all temptations.

Opera is also reversing its downward trend with a slight increase of 0.04 percent.  It’s beginning to receive  the halo effect of its mobile and gadgets versions which are flying high above its competition.

In a nutshell, the winner of May’s browsers’ race was definitely Google Chrome. Let’s wait and see what June has in store for us.  Good Day.

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Major Web Browsers Market Share for April 2009

New browser usage statistics are fresh out of the oven for April from Net Applications.   Net Applications’ monthly surveys are conducted by sampling browser data from some 160 million visits to websites operated by the firm’s clients. The company describes the results as “market shares,” but they do not actually measure share of market in the traditional sense of revenue or unit sales. They do, however, provide a consistent methodology by which to gauge operating system trends.  It’s currently the most reliable source of information pertaining to Web browser’s market share performance.

These are the stats Net Applications published for April 2009:

Each browser has three figures. The first figure is April market share performance expressed in percentages, the second figure represents March market share also in percentages, and the third figure is the difference between April and  March.  Red figures represents a decrease  and green figures an increase in market share for that particular browser.  Here we go.

1. Internet Explorer: 66.10% minus 66.82% = 0.72%
2. Firefox: 22.48% minus  22.05% =  0.43%
3. Safari: 8.21% minus 8.23% = 0.02%
4. Chrome: 1.42% minus 1.23% = 0.19%
5. Netscape: 0.82% minus 0.69% =  0.13%
6. Opera: 0.68% minus 0.70% = 0.02%
7. Others: 7.54% minus 7.43% =  0.11%

Comments:

Microsoft Internet Explorer’s ship is sinking faster than the Titanic.  In April it sank almost three quarters of one percent which is alarming.  On the other hand, Mozilla Firefox is flying high gaining almost one half of one percent.  If this trend continues, soon it will hit the 25 percent landmark.

Apple Safari is loosing steam while Google Chrome is gaining ground.  It now has a 1.42 percent global market share which is not bad, but could be better having such a highly recognized global band.

Netscape is the surprise player.  It continues its upward trend at a considerable rate.  In April it escalated 0.13 percent which is excellent.  That means the loyalty of its users is beyond doubt.

In a nutshell, in April the great loser was Internet Explorer and the absolute winner was Firefox closely followed by Netscape. And now let’s wait until May comes along for more statistics.  Good Day.

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