For the first time in the history of the net, Internet Explorer has been dethroned from Europe’s web browser top spot. Firefox has just pipped Microsoft’s browser to the post, justifying your votes in our poll.
So it looks like Which? Convo readers are very good at predicting the future. Firefox topped our web browser poll in October last year, taking 42% of over 1,500 votes. The traditionally dominant Internet Explorer (IE) lagged behind with just 26%.
At the time, the reality of web browser usage was very different. IE was, predictably, still very much the front runner despite your apparent penchant to stray from Microsoft’s waters.
However, it’s now been announced by StatCounter, a company that analyses internet traffic for three million websites, that Firefox has taken the crown in Europe. Yes, worldwide Firefox is still dawdling in second place, but there shouldn’t be any denying the browser’s achievement.
Have you moved from Internet Explorer?
According to Statcounter, Firefox took 38.1% of the European browser share, compared to IE’s 37.5% – the first time Microsoft’s browser has been knocked off the top spot in a major territory.
Sure, the difference is tiny and the rest of the world hasn’t quite followed suit, but it’s still good to hear that we’re looking outside of the box.
The change almost certainly has something to do with some legislation made by the European Commission in March 2010. Microsoft now has to give European internet users a choice of browsers when they first start up their brand spanking new Windows computer.
But of course, there’s also Google Chrome. This is my web browser of choice and it’s stolen a significant share from IE. With its usage up by almost 10% compared to 2009, Chrome’s rise has helped Firefox leapfrog to the top.
So have you moved from Internet Explorer to another web browser? And what would Microsoft have to do to entice you back to their window on the web?
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