Google Chrome continues to grow in popularity, and on Sunday became the most used browser in the world for the first time. On Monday, however, IE took the lead again, though the trend suggests IE's time at the top will soon be a thing of the past.
Google’s Chrome browser has been steadily building its user base since its launch back in September 2008, and last Sunday it knocked Microsoft’s Internet Explorer (IE) off the top spot for the first time to become the world’s most widely used web browser. On Monday, however, it was back in second place as people returned to their work computers installed with IE.
According to research conducted by the independent website analytics company StatCounter, Chrome was the leading browser on the weekend in India, Russia and Brazil, all of which helped it to become the number one browser on a global basis on Sunday.
“While it is only one day, this is a milestone,” StatCounter CEO Aodhan Cullen said.
Chrome only just managed to take the number one spot, with usage of Google’s browser running at 32.71 percent over IE’s 32.28 percent. Firefox was in third place with 24.81 percent. Two days earlier, on a weekday, Chrome usage was at 30.8 percent, some way behind IE’s 35.28 percent.
StatCounter arrived at its figures by adding up website page views in various browsers, though it should be noted that its data is pulled from a small portion of Internet activity (15 billion page views per month — 4 billion from the US — from more than three million websites on its network). However, its data shows a clear pattern and gives an interesting insight into web browser usage.
“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,” Cullen said.
Cullen pointed out that Chrome still has some work to do to hold first place on a more permanent basis, saying that it remains in second or third position in a number of countries, including the US, China, and Germany.
But with IE’s browser share continuing to slide, it’s surely only a matter of time before Chrome takes the top spot for good — or at least until another browser comes along that grabs users’ attention.
Google’s Chrome browser has been popular with many web surfers thanks to its speed, uncluttered interface and growing number of useful extensions. Many also believe it’s more stable and offers better security compared to other browsers.
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