04 November 2009 | Author: Katie Todd

October browser market share unveiled

The battle of the browsers is still one easily shattered by Internet Explorer, but it looks like other browsers are carving their niches in the market, with Firefox and Google Chrome amongst those that have seen increases in users.

IE, however, dropped just over a per cent from 65.71 per cent to 64.64 per cent this month, say stats taken from Net Applications. This was just over the space of a month - meaning it could be a significant loss if the trend continues over the course of 2010.

Firefox gained fans in to crack the 24 per cent mark, moving from 23.75 per cent to 24.07 per cent - Mozilla must be getting the champagne out - and Chrome also hopped up the popularity stakes, skipping from 3.17 per cent to 3.58 per cent. While these stats don't sound too impressive, both browsers could end up posing a real threat to IE over time. Apple's Safari also increased share, drifting from 4.24 per cent market share to a still-humble 4.42 per cent.

Unfortunately, Internet Explorer wasn't the only browser that slid down the rankings. Opera dropped by a minimal amount - but it dipped never the less. The 0.02 per cent shift from 2.19 per cent to 2.17 per cent does not bode well for the already unpopular browser.

It'll be interesting to see how each browser continues to fare over time. Will Internet Explorer continue to drop through the ranks or will the release of Windows 7 keep the browser's head and shoulders above the water for some time? And what about Google Chrome - will Google's contender continue to climb or will users' interest wane in the Mountain View giant's offering, preferring its search skills only?