Google Chrome Browser Steadily Growing in Popularity
Expected to Surpass Firefox Soon
For years, Microsoft's Internet Explorer web browser simply dominated its market, largely because the software giant went ahead and included it with copies of its ubiquitous Windows operating system (OS). But a few years back that market dominance started to break down, first as a result of the rise of Mozilla's Firefox browser, and then, most recently, with the widespread popularity of Google's Chrome browser. Now, it seems Chrome is lurching forward in popularity, to the point where it could claim one-fifth of the browser market by January, 2012.
According to a new report for industry analyst firm Net Applications, Google Chrome has surpassed 16 per cent of the overall market share for the month of September. That's up from 15.5 per cent just the previous month. And while a 0.7 per cent increase doesn't sound like a lot, for just one month it's a stunning jump in what is becoming a fiercely competitive market.
Given the September findings, analysts now believe that Google's Chrome browser could actually pass the 20 per cent browser share mark by the New Year.
How do we explain that remarkable momentum? Well, Google has been doing a lot of advertising of late for Chrome, starting with various TV spots. Then there's the association it enjoys with the biggest search company in the world. That helps, too.
But it isn't just Chrome that is experiencing a boost of late. The Safari web browser has also enjoyed a significant jump in popularity, to 5 per cent. On a side note, Safari continues to be extremely popular amongst mobile users, with growth in that field associated with the fact that Apple bundles Safari with the MacBook, iPad, and iPhone.
Together, Chrome and Safari helped steer Internet users away from both Internet Explorer and Firefox, which saw their numbers drop to 54.4 per cent and 22.5 per cent, respectively.
Overall, the focus is on Chrome. Besides Net Applications' predictions for it, other analysts, including StatCounter, believe that it could actually surpass Firefox in terms of popularity within the next year. Of course, all of this continues to spell bad news for Microsoft and Mozilla, who have demonstrated an inability to stop the bleeding.
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