Internet Explorer continues downward browsing slide

by Stevie Smith - Oct 2 2009, 15:30

Microsoft’s Internet Explorer is the clear leader when it comes to Web surfing. However, the software giant’s dominance is still on a downward trend as rival browsing solutions continue to gain traction with users, according to Web metrics company Net Applications.

More pointedly, Internet Explorer (IE) lost 1.3 percentage points during the month of September, which leaves the browser with a 65.7 percent share of the market, while Mozilla’s Firefox browser gained 0.8 percent to secure 23.8 percent, and Google’s Chrome platform increased its presence by 0.3 percent for a share of 3.2 percent.

While Microsoft’s browser remains the number-one choice for Web users – likely because it come pre-installed on all Windows-equipped PCs – IE has dropped a total of 8.5 percentage points in the last 12 months. Conversely, the likes of core rival Firefox and relative newbie Chrome continue to enjoy forward momentum.

Registering a similar but somewhat more modest increase, Apple’s Safari browser managed to grow its audience by 0.45 percent to a total of 4.2 percent market share. The Opera browser also improved its market share, boosting its positioning by 0.15 percent to a 2.2 percent total.

According to projections made by Net Applications, if Redmond-based Microsoft fails to stem the current tide of loss, the market share attributed to its Internet Explorer browser is likely to fall below 50 percent by around May of 2011.

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