The race for the world’s most popular web browser is raging on, with Google’s Chrome edging ever-closer to Microsoft’s Internet Explorer.
For a long time, Internet Explorer enjoyed the lion’s share of the browser market, easily fending off competition from the likes of Firefox and Safari.
But then Google came along with Chrome. And like every other product Google seems to release (with the exception of the struggling Google+), it did very well indeed.
The simple layout and seemingly faster speeds made Chrome an instant hit with internet users the world over.
In December last year, Chrome surpassed Firefox to become the world’s second-largest internet browser – and had Microsoft looking over its shoulder.
It seems that Chrome is still on the up-and-up, as it was revealed that it briefly surpassed Internet Explorer at the weekend, to momentarily become the world’s biggest browser.
Chrome overtakes IE, briefly
The figures, released by web analytics firm StatCounter, show that Chrome overtook IE on Sunday, by a small but significant margin.
It was found that Chrome was used for 32.7% of all browsing around the world, while IE saw its share slump to 32.5%.
It’s not a particularly big margin, but the timing is significant. It shows that, when people have a choice of browser, they are opting for Chrome.
Once Monday rolled around, and people were back at work using IE, the browser’s share went back up to 35% while Chrome’s slipped to 30%.
Milestone for Chrome
“While it is only one day, this is a milestone. At weekends, when people are free to choose what browser to use, many of them are selecting Chrome in preference to IE,” said Aodhan Cullen, chief executive at StatCounter.
“Whether Chrome can take the lead in the browser wars in the long term remains to be seen, however the trend towards Chrome usage at weekends is undeniable.”
