In April 2011 Internet Explorer had a 57,8 per cent market share, in October 2011 it went below 50%, and earlier this year Google Chrome (who had about 18% market share in beginning of 2011) overtook Internet Explorer. Google’s web browser now has a market share of 35%, which is the largest share among the top 5 web browsers (Internet Explorer, Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Opera). After Chrome past Firefox in November 2011 it only took one year for Chrome to overtake Internet Explorer (IE). From the beginning of 2011 Chromes growth compared to IE:s decline is in a similar rate, while the other browsers remain fairly steady; showing that Chrome was stealing market share from IE. Some journalists earlier this year believed Chrome’s share will go beyond 50% in the end of this year, which is not impossible but having 35% last month I see it as unlikely. Even though Chrome is in the lead now it is an industry where a lot can happen in a short time. As more and more of our daily functions and data store requirements move to the Internet we are likely to see an interesting and highly competitive battle between the browsers in the near future.

I stumbled in to these figures when investigating my client’s compatibility to different web browsers, and I think it is fascinating how the domination of Google is found in so many different areas. I also find it interesting what makes people choose one browser over another. The main reasons behind my changes have been due to change of computer and referrals from friends, hence these are the two reasons that come to mind.  But I guess, as internet-usage increases people are getting more aware of what they are looking for in a good browser. It will be very interesting to see how the market share is distributed in two years from now, as the knowledge of the consumer increases.