According to analytics vendor Net Applications, the number of Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) browser users dropped by another 40 million last month, bringing the total to over 330 million for the year.
The biggest decline in the number of Microsoft browser users was in May of this year when the combined users of Internet Explorer and Edge dropped by 2.7%. And for the first time ever, based on StatCounter figures, Mozilla Firefox overtook Microsoft browser users by 0.1% — that’s a user base of 15.6% vs. 15.5%.
October’s decline is the second highest for Microsoft as user base dropped by 2.3%. With an average decline of around 2% a month, it will not be surprising if the 20.2% drop in user base since the start of the year will go up to about 25% by year end. With 2 months left, there’s a chance the number could go even higher.
Where exactly are Microsoft’s deserters going? In the past, it was almost always Google that benefitted from Microsoft’s loss as majority of those who leave IE and Edge shift to Google Chrome. It’s different this time.
As of the end of October, Net Applications says that browser users are divided into the following: 55% use Google Chrome; 28.4% use Internet Explorer and Edge (2.3% down from September’s figures); 11.1% use Mozilla Firefox (2% up from September count); and 5.5% use other browsers like Opera and Safari. In actual numbers, that’s around 640 million for Google, 466 million for Microsoft, and 180 million for Mozilla.
Puzzling as it is, the numbers show that as Microsoft’s user share declined, Mozilla’s Firefox user base has gone up by almost the same number. In fact, during the last 2 months, the number of Firefox users has increased to the point that it has already compensated for the losses Mozilla incurred last year.
Internet browsing has been accepted as an indispensable part of our daily lives. And clearly, Google Chrome remains as the most popular browser because it is easy to use, opens quickly, and comes with many features and add-ons that makes browsing enjoyable and safe.
In terms of power efficiency, Microsoft is claiming that Edge can be used longer than any other browser on a Windows 10 device. Several tests have already proven this claim and one video test even showed that Microsoft Edge lasted 3 hours longer than Google Chrome.
But what about Firefox? In a recent article by IT Pro, Firefox seemed to be the best browser due to its all-around solid performance. Could this verdict be true that the public is now slowly catching on?
With their stats continuing to plummet, Microsoft better do something fast to put an end to this alarming trend. Otherwise, Firefox might just succeed in overtaking them for good.
Before switching to Google, I had many problems with IE.
The “Web page is not responding” error being the big one.
The incompatibility with Norton might be one of the reasons
people might be skipping over edge.
Just a thought.
I am forced to use Windows at work, and the only browser we are allowed is the execrable Internet Explorer. We were using Chrome for a while, until our IT mavens decided that there were too many “security flaws” for us to continue. They disabled its use, and restricted us to IE. Yet IE crashes with as little as ONE open screen.
Given a choice, I would use ANYTHING instead of Internet Explorer.
I suggest listening to the younger generation. They know what is better when it comes to browser choices. I was an IE user for over a decade. Then I started experiencing errors, crashing and unable to open certain pages. Switched to Chrome. Never looked back. Change brings improved tech. Go with it.
The anti-MS fan boys/girls are in full force as it remains a hobby of the living-in-their-moms-basement crowd. Chrome/Firefox and the other plethora of browsers all have their own security flaws and efficiency issues. When you own your own company that must interact with the internet, you too will appreciate using software from reputable suppliers whose income depends on a good product… Sadly this leaves out many open source alternatives.
Apache is free but has significant issues, Libre Office is incompatible with the majority of the world, Linux has so many varieties, there’s just simply no standardization… etc, etc, etc
My Linux machines update nearly everyday with bug fixes and we additionally hear about virus writers taking ever increasing notice of Linux machines and observe they’re re-tooling their products to effect mayhem in the Linux community. Security through obscurity is no longer viable protection.
If you utilize computers in your personal/professional life, then just learn there will likely always be problems of one type or another… just as in the cars we drive, the cell phones we adore, just as in life.