Google Chrome overtakes Firefox as No. 2 browser | The Australian
From: NewsCoreDecember 02, 2011
GOOGLE'S Chrome browser overtook Mozilla's Firefox as the No. 2 internet browser by market share for the first time globally during the month of November, closing the gap behind leader Microsoft's Internet Explorer, analytics firm StatCounter said.
Chrome took 25.69 per cent of the worldwide market, up from 4.66 per cent in November 2009. Firefox trailed at 25.23 per cent. Internet Explorer maintained its top spot, holding 40.63 per cent of the global browser market.
In the US, Explorer's market share grew by 0.42 percentage points from a year earlier to 50.66 per cent in November. Firefox retained second place with 20.09 per cent, down 6.66 percentage points from last November. Chrome grew 6.41 percentage points to 17.3 per cent, while Safari edged up 0.05 percentage points to 10.76 per cent.
Chrome overtook Firefox in Britain as early as July.
"We can look forward to a fascinating battle between Microsoft and Google as the pace of growth of Chrome suggests that it will become a real rival to Internet Explorer globally," said StatCounter CEO Aodhan Cullen.
He said his company tracks web usage, not downloads -- meaning that Chrome was not just being downloaded to more computers, but being used more regularly to access the web.
Google introduced Chrome in 2008 as it continued to expand its offerings beyond its core search business. The company is also in a long-running battle with Microsoft over search engine usage.
Dow Jones, Newscore
Google Chrome overtakes Firefox as No. 2 browser | The Australian
