Numbers published by StatCounter show that Firefox overtook Explorer/Edge during April to become the second most used web browser behind Google Chrome.
Microsoft’s grip on the web browser has been broken, as we reported earlier in the month after NetMarketShare revealed that Google Chrome had overtaken Internet Explorer/Edge. Chrome is now the most popular browser, but according to the analysts at StatCounter the situation could be worse for Microsoft and suggests Explorer/Edge are actually in third place.
The market research firm has released browser figures based on a three month period ending April 2016, and shows that Mozilla’s Firefox browser surpassed Explorer/Edge during April.
Apparently, Explorer/Edge accounted for 15.5 per cent market share during April, while Firefox managed to sneak in front with a 15.6 per cent market share. Google has already shown that the days of Microsoft enjoying a 60 per cent market share a long gone, but Firefox was not expected to overtake Explorer/Edge.
Indeed, the launch of the Edge browser with Windows 10 was meant to usher in a new era of browsing for Microsoft, giving users a modern setup that replaced the increasingly dated IE. While Edge is finding itself growing its share, the browser is unlikely to make a significant impact for some time, when more Windows 10 machines ship and when older PCs are updated to the platform.
“Microsoft might have expected a boost to its overall browser share as the result of the launch of the Windows 10 with Edge but it hasn’t happened to date,” said StatCounter chief Aodhan Cullen.
The more features (such as extensions) that Edge gets, the more appealing it will be to users who want a modern browser with a rich set of functionality. As for Internet Explorer, it is very much the past for Microsoft and its market share will likely decline drastically in coming years. Microsoft’s hope is that eventually Edge, and not Chrome or Firefox, will make up the difference.
