After losing market share in the mobile phone market Microsoft is now seeing share stripped away from their web browser with Internet Explorer now accounting for less than 50 percent of worldwide web browser use. This is the same Company that grew browser market share after being accused of being an evil monopolist, and prosecuted for bundling Internet Explorer with its Microsoft Windows operating system.
During the past five years and due in part to new regulations in markets like the European Union Microsoft has seen their share of the browser market paired back from 89% to less than 50% by Firefox and of late Google Chrome.
Research shows that the emergence of Google Chome in mid-2008 has hit Internet Explorer hard with the search Company set to grow share even further as vendors move to deliver new Android and Chrome based devices such as Smartphones, Tablets and Netbooks.
The UK Daily Telegraph said that the fall below the psychologically important barrier of 50 percent market share makes the latest version, Internet Explorer 9, all the more important for the company.
Firefox, the second most popular desktop web browser has 30% market Apple’s Safari 22% while Chrome has grown from 3.6% late last year to over 12.6%.
StatCounter, which tracks Internet data, said that Internet Explorer’s share of the browser market fell to 49.9% in September and that the combined market share of non-Microsoft browsers now outpaces IE.
The research Company said that other browsers such as Chrome and Firefox have outpaced IE’s innovations and that Internet Explorer’s use has been falling steadily over the past several years.
StatCounter said that the end of Microsoft’s dominance for browsers demonstrates that in the long run, vigorous market competition is almost always the best regulator of all, and the consumer’s best friend.
