Usage Statistics

With the popularity of the internet, browsers have evolved in recent years. Original browsers have been replaced with more up to date versions and new companies have entered the market to provide alternative products. The popularity of these web browsers can be estimated with the help of web browser usage statistics.

A comparison of internet browser statistics can be found online. Dedicated internet technology sites carry monthly or yearly web browser usage statistics which indicate market share. Some popular web browsers include Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Opera.

According to Website story browser statistics in the year 1999, Internet Explore enjoyed a market share of 64.6% and Netscape 33.43%. The most popular browser, internet explorer (ie), has enjoyed increasing market share due to the fact that it is pushed by Microsoft. With strong worldwide brand recognition, and inclusion on new computers distributed through partner channels as the browser for Windows, Internet Explorer has continued to gain an increasing market share. This is also due to the fact that consumers have not been presented with a wide range of choice and just accept Internet Explorer as the natural choice.

The main competitor for Internet Explorer has been Netscape. A change in the business structure of Netscape has seen the original Netscape browser retreat from the market. The now defunct Netscape Corporation has been replaced by Mozilla Firefox which has emerged as a new contender. As of June 2007, according the Onestat.com, the web browser usage statistics indicate Internet Explorer has a market share of 84.66%, Mozilla 12.72%, Netscape 0.11%, Opera 0.61% and Safari 1.79%.

The emergence of Firefox has been pushed by the alliance with Google and the contribution of many open source developers who have contributed to the development of plug-ins for the Firefox product. Many have also turned to Firefox because it is perceived as a more secure browser. With spyware and Trojans often targeting Microsoft, Firefox has enjoyed a loyal following from the tech savvy part of the market.

With the introduction of new browsers the importance of additional built in features has also increased. Both Microsoft and Mozilla provide regular updates. Automatic detection mechanisms are becoming standard for keeping browsers regularly updated. It is important that end users maintain the most up to date browser. This is to ensure that any security flaws are eliminated that can become a trap for spyware, Trojans and malware.

In the years to come, unless a replacement is developed for Internet Explorer, web browser usage statistics are likely to remain relatively stable although the lower end of the market could change in response to new products emerging or changing consumer preferences.

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