A recent StatCounter study covering the period of May 14 through 20, 2012 proves what many of us already suspected: Google Chrome is now the most popular Web browser in the world! Chrome’s user base is estimated to be at 32.76% of the market, overtaking the previous leader – Microsoft’s Internet Explorer – which had enjoyed a 31.94% market share prior to its decline in recent weeks.
Firefox maintains third-place with a share of 25.47%, while Safari and Opera own 7.08% and 1.74%, respectively. Chrome had previously been in first place for a single day, on Sunday, March 18, 2012. This short-lived phenomenon was explained away as a fluke due to a holiday as it is generally known that IE is not the preferred browser for non-work computers. However, given these latest numbers, perhaps IE as a corporate standard is also being revisited?
The secret to Google’s browser success may be attributed to its very efficient interface and the fact that installation of extensions does not require a browser restart. Another big plus is its automatic update system which also installs the latest releases of Adobe Flash.
The situation in the browser market is getting very interesting. Google Chrome in the latter half of the year will have to withstand the premiere of the much-publicized Internet Explorer 10. Fortunately for Chrome and the other non-MS Web browsers, IE 10 will not run on older Windows versions, ensuring a home for these browsers for some time to come.
Regardless of who is winning the battle of the browsers this month, you can be sure that GavickPro extensions and templates are tested against all of the leading browsers prior to release, ensuring compatibility with your Web projects and peace of mind for you and your site visitors.
Download: Chrome browser