Browser usage 2008-2009
Posted by Rob on 14th Feb 2009 in The Internet
For the last year or so usage of Internet Explorer has been on the decline. Apart from the appearance of Firefox, IE has been plagued with endless security issues and concerned users have been switching to more secure browsers to help maintain their online safety.
The current state of play
| Month | IE | Firefox | Safari | Chrome | Opera |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February, 2008 | 74.88% | 17.27% | 5.70% | 0.00% | 0.69% |
| March, 2008 | 74.80% | 17.83% | 5.82% | 0.00% | 0.69% |
| April, 2008 | 74.83% | 17.76% | 5.81% | 0.00% | 0.69% |
| May, 2008 | 73.75% | 18.41% | 6.25% | 0.00% | 0.71% |
| June, 2008 | 73.01% | 19.03% | 6.31% | 0.00% | 0.73% |
| July, 2008 | 73.02% | 19.22% | 6.14% | 0.00% | 0.69% |
| August, 2008 | 72.15% | 19.73% | 6.37% | 0.00% | 0.74% |
| September, 2008 | 71.52% | 19.46% | 6.65% | 0.78% | 0.69% |
| October, 2008 | 71.27% | 19.97% | 6.57% | 0.74% | 0.75% |
| November, 2008 | 69.77% | 20.78% | 7.13% | 0.83% | 0.71% |
| December, 2008 | 68.15% | 21.34% | 7.93% | 1.04% | 0.71% |
| January, 2009 | 67.55% | 21.53% | 8.29% | 1.12% | 0.70% |
| Difference | -7.33% | +4.26% | +2.59% | +1.12% | +0.01% |
| % Loss/Gain | -9.79% | +24.67% | +45.44% | +1.12% | +1.45% |
Source - Hitslink
Internet Explorer
The loss of just under 10% of users and 7% market share in one year speaks volumes. It has to be said that the latest versions IE7, and the soon to be released IE8, do address many security concerns, but will they be enough to tempt users back? Somehow I don't think so. Once users have found alternatives Microsoft will have to regain their trust.
Firefox
A shade under a 25% increase in users and a 4% increase in market share reinforces the fact that people are turning to Firefox in droves. Mozillas own marketing and continuous "self promotion" by web professionals has undoubtedly played a big part in it's ongoing success.
Safari
Probably the big surprise is Apple's Safari web browser which saw relatively large growth. They may only have gained 2.5% market share but their user base grew by an astounding 45% for the year. Probable factors include the automatic browser download with iTune and Quicktime software updates (unless you untick the box) as well as a steady increase in Mac sales.
Chrome
Released by Google in the latter quarter of 2008, the Chrome browser has made s small dent in the market. However, I would suggest that the majority of it's user base are web professionals - with Googles exposure to the surfing public we might have expected more but it's still early days.
Opera
Of all the browsers Opera's usage remained pretty stable,and despite it having a loyal user base it still remains a minority browser - even though it's darned good!
A forecast for 2009
If I had to make a judgement I'd say that Internet Explorer usage will still decline in '09 despite all the improvements IE8 offers. Firefox's share will continue growing and might hit 30% by the years end. Safari will also grow and I can see it's share heading towards 5%. Chrome I don't think will take off just yet, and Opera will remain where it is, sub 1%.
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