For quite some time now, analysts keeping track of popular Internet browsers have been suggesting that Google Chrome was the most popular among the lot. But not everyone agreed, especially NetMarketShare. By virtues of its combination of different Internet Explorer (IE) versions, the Microsoft browser was successful in trumping Chrome in its quarterly statistics.
While the Internet Explorer alone dominated the scene with its latest version, the previous editions also had strong followings, making other browsers like Chrome and Firefox small outliers. However, things have changed since the last month and now Chrome is the undisputed leader. Last month, Internet Explorer lost its No. 1 rank to Chrome.
This not only marked a major milestone in the 21-year lifespan of Internet Explorer but also brought a significant change in the desktop browser guard, Computer World reported. Statistics made available by the U.S. analytical firm Net Applications showed that the IE and Edge, which were merged as "IE," dropped 2 percent point in April, enjoying 41.4 percent of the global browser user share.
On the other hand, Chrome gained 2.6 percent points, increasing its global browser user share to 41.7 percent. Though the lead over IE is very slender, it is significant nonetheless. In fact, Computer World had forecast earlier that going by the long-term trends data offered by Net Applications, Chrome would become the No. 1 browser by May end.
In fact, Mozilla's Firefox also dropped 0.8 percentage point to fall below 10 percent to 9.8 percent, compared to what was anticipated earlier. On the other hand, Apple's Safari and Opera Software's Opera remained static or witnessed slight increase last month, ending the month at 4.9 percent and 1.9 percent, respectively. All said and done, it is significant to note the continuous decline of IE and the simultaneous rise of Chrome.
Statistics provided by NetMarketShare, however, emphasizes that while Chrome comes in with a 41.66 percent share of the market, all versions of the Internet Explorer together enjoy 41.35 percent global browser user share, Digital Trends reported.
So what triggered the decline of IE? In August 2014, Microsoft forced customers to upgrade to the latest IE version, when Redmond tech titan told majority of the customers to migrate to IE11 if they wished to continue receiving security patches. This actually set off a catastrophic turn down in IE's user share. Considering the need to change browsers, users instead reviewed their choice and subsequently ditched Microsoft's browsers for Chrome.
Watch "Web browser performance showdown - Edge vs. Chrome vs. IE11 vs. Opera" below:
