Google Chrome vs. Internet Explorer: Microsoft's Browser Loses Weekend Download Battle

By Tarmo Virki

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Google Inc's Chrome web browser overtook Microsoft Corp's Internet Explorer (IE) to become market leader globally for the first time last Sunday, web analytics firm StatCounter said on Wednesday.

"While it is only one day, this is a milestone," said Aodhan Cullen, StatCounter's chief executive.

"At weekends, when people are free to choose what browser to use, many of them are selecting Chrome in preference to IE."

On March 18, Chrome was used for 32.7 percent of all browsing, while Explorer had 32.5 percent share. When people returned to their offices on Monday, the IE share rose to 35 percent and Chrome's share slipped to 30 percent.

"Whether Chrome can take the lead in the browser wars in the long term remains to be seen, however the trend towards Chrome usage at weekends is undeniable," Cullen said.

On a monthly basis, Chrome's market share has surged to 31 percent so far in March from 17 percent a year ago, while Explorer has slipped to 35 percent from 45 percent a year earlier.

The market share of Firefox -- which is popular in Europe -- is globally around 25 percent.

Apple Inc's Safari is a distant number four with a 7 percent share of all browsing, with Opera at number five on 2 percent.

StatCounter statistics are based on aggregate data from more than 3 million websites with a sample of more than 15 billion page views per month.

(Editing by David Cowell)

Comments

[happyupdates]

12:02 PM on 05/05/2012

i think chrome is best..

[arizonahd]

12:40 PM on 03/23/2012

IE is laggy and full of annoying features.

[johngthomas]

09:58 AM on 03/23/2012

In my experience Chrome is faster, more reliable and integrates web apps better than IE and, second best, Firefox. It updates more often and more quickly than the alternatives. It only tracks if you let it, which I do because web history is so useful. The ability to switch with one click between different user's profiles is especially convenient for shared computers, but also useful when switching to another computer. Chrome keeps getting better while the rest play catch-up.

[Desolati0n]

07:37 AM on 03/23/2012

Internet explorer is laggy, it doesn't provide many of the features other browsers offer and it has become obsolete.

[jsgaetano]

09:16 PM on 03/22/2012

This is kind of a BS statistic, because it's counting Android devices as Chrome and iPhone/iPad as Safari... meaning this is counting mobile browsers vs IE, which is primarily a PC based browser.

[jsgaetano]

08:52 PM on 03/22/2012

Firefox and Chrome and Safari and Opera are the four least secure browsers out there.

[IanPatrickHughes]

03:52 PM on 03/22/2012

I also use web browsers and have a preferred one.

[kingemperor]

01:33 PM on 03/22/2012

Internet explorer is slow. Chrome crashes sometimes.

[Clarity22]

01:19 PM on 03/22/2012

IE is a total flop, I even dislike having to code on it.

[jsgaetano]

08:52 PM on 03/22/2012

Yawn. Another know-nothing trying to make excuses for being a do-nothing.

[Pectin]

11:21 AM on 03/22/2012

"Bad News For Internet Explorer"

That it isn't 1995 anymore?

[mrcontinental]

11:07 AM on 03/22/2012

Google Chrome tracks every single thing you do. I dumped it and went back to Firefox. When Chrome asked me for permission to copy the contents of my clipboard we were done.

[deucejuice]

09:33 AM on 03/22/2012

Internet explorer is for new or inexperienced users. MS should just retire it.

[jsgaetano]

08:53 PM on 03/22/2012

IE is for users who don't think their choice of browsers defines them as a person. Get a grip- it's a web browser, not a lifestyle decision.

[Gilbert Albright]

09:31 AM on 03/22/2012

Google Chrome sucks too. Mozilla Firefox is better than both those turkeys.

[Drama Llama]

10:08 AM on 03/22/2012

I was a diehard Firefox fan but it just seems to be a pain for me now.. If left open for a few hours it balloons to over a gig of mem usage on my mac and about 500meg on my PC.. Pages with flash really seem to bog down Firefox and leave it completely unresponsive if the tab is left open for a while. I know this is probably more of an Adobe issue but it does not occur on IE or Firefox. As much as I hate Google.....Chrome works with the least amount of hiccups and less of a memory footprint than any other browser I have tried.

And the Firefox versions.. Seems like they are updating to a new version weekly now. I like to stay updated but every time I open Firefox to use I have to wait due to a new version being installed.

I was a die hard Firefox user.. I still use it 80% of the time on my Win PC but on my Mac I am exclusively Chrome.

[Pectin]

11:23 AM on 03/22/2012

Agreed. Always on the lookout for an alternative, but end up back with Firefox.

Better the devil you know, I guess.

[moflard]

07:54 AM on 03/22/2012

I swap between Firefox and Opera. Can't stand Chrome and don't trust Google as far as I can throw a pregnant rhinoceros.

[i shred 686]

07:17 AM on 03/22/2012

I've used Chrome and Firefox, and I can't stand Chrome. My experience with Chrome was not good from the start. The browser itself was slow and there were more bugs in it than roach infested motel.