Internet Explorer loses out to Firefox, Safari, Chrome, Opera
There was a time when almost every single one of us used Internet Explorer as our Web browser. The reasons being there was little competition for the Microsoft product and its inclusion in every copy of Windows meant most people didn’t bother searching out the alternatives that did exist. How times have changed.
In the middle of 2004 Internet Explorer held a 95 percent market share for Web browsers. Microsoft had seen off all but the niche competition and had the sector sewn up. Then along came Mozilla Firefox in late 2004 and things started to turn around. Since then Internet Explorer has continued to lose market share to a number of increasingly popular alternatives.
According to ComputerWorld, August saw Internet Explorer post its largest market share loss since November 2008. The Microsoft browser shed 1.1 percent market share in the space of a month, leaving it with an exactly two-thirds share of the sector. Which is still a dominant position to be in but a far cry from the dominant position Internet Explorer enjoyed just five years ago.
More worryingly for Microsoft, Internet Explorer lost a massive 8.6 percentage points to its rivals in the last 12 months. If that rate should continue or accelerate then it’s entirely feasible that Firefox will overtake Internet Explorer within another five years.
Firefox gained 0.8 percent market share during August to be sat on 23.3 percent. While Apple Safari, Google Chrome, and Opera all made small gains to cement their footholds in the sector. The market share for August, as recorded by Net Applications was:
Internet Explorer: 66.6 percent
Mozilla Firefox: 23.3 percent
Apple Safari: 4.1 percent
Google Chrome: 2.9 percent
Opera: 2.1 percent
The release of Windows 7 could help Microsoft turn this continuing slump around but the ballot screen being built in to the European release could have the opposite effect. And while Firefox is clearly the only serious contender to topple the Microsoft browser at this moment in time, I fully suspect Chrome to build up a head of steam over the next few years. It’s already catching up on Safari and the deal to put Chrome on Sony computers will surely help.
What was seen as game over a few years ago is now looking a lot more exciting, with Internet Explorer facing real competition to its long-held position as Web browser top dog. The hope is that this will force Microsoft to improve future iterations of Internet Explorer in order to keep up.
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September 2nd, 2009
I have to say I never used IE7 (or IE8). The reason? I can’t understand the interface! Firefox has an interface that makes sense to me and doesn’t waste “real estate” on my laptop screen. When I open IE on that rare occasion when I am forced to, I often stare at the top of the window wondering what the hell kind of incompetent UI designers came up with the IE7 and IE8 interface. I can’t figure out what to do, so I just keep staring.
September 2nd, 2009
I don’t Microsoft is losing much sleep over the market share of Internet Explorer. It isn’t like they make any money from it. I been using Firefox for a number of years and prefer it to IE.
September 2nd, 2009
That is the exact same reason I don’t bother with it. The interface.
September 3rd, 2009
It’s worth remembering that Bing is the default search engine in IE, as opposed to Google in Firefox.
And seeing as most people probably don’t change the default, if Firefox keeps gaining, that’s where it impacts MS, in search.
Rememer, Balmer expects the bulk of MS’s revenue soon to come from internet advertising.
September 3rd, 2009
Bullshit.
IE6 is still the most popular browser on earth and it’s 8 years old so Microsoft doesn’t have any hurry to improve their browser, they are just in the lead steadily and comfortably.
September 3rd, 2009
I switched out of IE a long time ago, moved to FireFox and over the last year to Chrome.
However, IE has been improving continuously in the meantime.
I did some basic tests comparing the 5 browsers:
http://blog.gadodia.net/the-great-browser-performance-showdown/
September 3rd, 2009
I’ve used Firefox off and on for years. Almost exclusively for how well Adblock Plus works and lack of similar capability for IE. Yet every time I make it my default, at some point it’s crazy memory mismanagement strikes me and my system bogs down to the point where once again I am reminded to restore IE as default.
As for the guy that states at IE trying to figure it out, are you REALLY that dense for real? I’m not trying to insult you, but man, I’m not sure how you could lok at IE and not figure out how to “use” it. Wow. Click in the address big, type in a url, hit enter.
September 4th, 2009
http://marketshare.hitslink.com/browser-market-share.aspx?qprid=2
Damn the IE 6.0 is really facing some real competiton in next 10 years! It looks like that IE 7.0 is really cathing the peak place!
September 4th, 2009
Hi DavidB,
Here’s a link for you:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperbole