Google's Chrome poised to become world's most popular web browser this year

Google's fast, simple Chrome browser will move ahead of Microsoft's Internet Explorer by the end of this year if current trends continue, according to research from research firm StatCounter

Over the past year, Internet Explorer fell from 46 per cent of the worldwide market to 38.5 per cent. In the same period, Google Chrome rose from 15.68 per cent to 27.27 per cent, overtaking rival Firefox in the process.

 

Over the past year, Internet Explorer fell from 46 per cent of the worldwide market to 38.5 per cent. In the same period, Chrome rose from 15.68 per cent to 27.27 per cent, overtaking rival Firefox in the process

One version of Chrome - Chrome 15 - is already the world's most popular browser, according to research released by Statcounter on December 15.

But taken together, all versions of Internet Explorer are still ahead of Google's sleek Chrome browser.The open-source browser Firefox was widely expected to take Internet Explorer's crown, but recent versions have been bloated and slow. 

Over the course of 2011, Firefox's market share has dipped from 30.68 to 25.27 per cent. The browser climbed slightly in December, but the overall trend is definitely downwards.

Over the past year, Internet Explorer use has fallen steadily, while Chrome has risen from 15 per cent to 27 per cent of the global market. Google's browser is poised to become the world's most popular

The Irish research firm's Global Stats report shows Chrome's share of the worldwide market is up from 4.66 per cent in November 2009. 

StatCounter CEO Aodhan Cullen said after Chrome overtook Firefox: 'We can look forward to a fascinating battle between Microsoft and Google as the pace of growth of Chrome suggests that it will become a real rival to Internet Explorer globally.

Mr Cullen noted that his company measures usage, not just downloads of the browser, which he said in a blog post 'show(s) that people are actually using it to access the web.'

StatCounter Global Stats are based on aggregate data collected on a sample exceeding 15billion page views per month (4billion from the US) from the StatCounter network of more than three million websites.

The Chrome browser has swiftly picked up users since Google officially released it to the public in December 2008 - much later than its rivals Firefox (2004), Apple's Safari (2003) and Internet Explorer (1995) were released.