Just over twenty percent of all web surfing is done using Google’s browser Chrome, according to a report filed by internet analytics company StatCounter.
Chrome first started off life as a beta version in September 2008 and then became publically available in December of that year. By June 2009, 2.8% of the world’s internet browsing was done using Chrome, and Google was finding it hard to break down the long-standing user bases of Internet Explorer and Firebox.
Now, within two years Google’s Chrome has risen impressively to just over 20% – one fifth of global browsing. In the same time, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer has fallen from grace somewhat – a fall from 59% to 49% of browsing share. It’s not a surprising statistic, either, given how Google have blasted their way into the PC and software markets recently.
Google’s Chrome and Mozilla’s Firefox are now neck and neck in the UK, both vying for the larger share. StatCounter’s figures show that 21.1% of Brits prefer Chrome whereas 21.7% are of the Firefox persuasion.
The figures have been calculated by counting just how many pages are viewed by users of each browser – a slightly different take on web browsing analytics. Other firms choose to calculate which browser is used the most by simply counting how many people actively use a browser; it doesn’t matter how much exactly.
So what does this go to show exactly? Well, it would show that the typical Chrome user does a LOT of browsing. From experience we know that Chrome is the preferred browser of the computer gamer and the geek, and there are certainly plenty of them out there.
Internet Explorer is still the top dog in the web browsing world, despite its fall of 10% in users. We can see Chrome continuing to grow past Firefox, but will it take on IE for the top spot?
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