Browser wars - how did they do in 2006
The use of the open-source browser Firefox has nearly doubled in ‘06 and is now used by 14% of surfers; Safari gained, IE and Netscape lost ground
Propelled by the release of its Version 2.0 in October, the free Firefox Web browser saw almost a 50% increase in use during 2006, according to one Web measurement firm.
The open-source Firefox browser was used by 14% of computers online at the end of 2006, according to Aliso Viejo, Calif.-based Net Applications. That was 46% higher than its 9.6% share of the browser market at the beginning of the year.
The biggest loser was Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, which also released a new version, Internet Explorer 7, last year. Even so, its market share fell to 79.6% from 85.1% at the start of 2006.
Apple Computer Inc.’s Safari Web browser rode increased sales of Mac computers to finish the year with 4.2% of the market, up from 3.1% at the beginning of 2006. Safari is only available on Apple hardware running Mac OS X.
The Opera Web browser also grew its share to 0.9% of the market from 0.6%, after signing deals with cell phone makers and game console makers such as Nintendo to have the software bundled with those devices.
AOL’s Netscape was, like Internet Explorer, also a loser. It started the year with 1.24% but saw its share of the market fall to 0.9%.
Popularity: 22% [?]
- January 8th, 2007
- General
