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2016 was the Year Google Chrome overtook Internet Explorer in Popularity

by Felix Omondi
2016 was the Year Google Chrome overtook Internet Explorer in Popularity

At the beginning of 2016, only about 10% of internet users were using Windows 10 PCs. By the end or 2016, that figure grew to 24%; and with that comes too much of drumming up of support for the Edge browser with little to none support for the Internet Explorer by Microsoft. That has led to a steady decline of Internet Explorer (IE) popularity; but not that Edge took over its market share.

To the contrary, Google Chrome took over IE market share and is now the leading browser in the market. Chrome’s popularity surpassed that of IE in March 2016. A development that is quite a significant loss to Microsoft given the popularity IE enjoyed as the default browser on Windows PCs; a browser that one did not need to install and was readily available to anyone on Windows.

Microsoft efforts to drum up support for Edge have yielded some fruits but not to the level expected. Edge is particularly popular among steamers, and it is within this group that the new browser has recorded impressive traction. To the general users, Edge popularity has grown dismally. However, there is no doubt that Microsoft’s increased focus on drumming up support for Edge was at the expense of IE. However, things did not work out as expected with Edge taking up IE’s market share, as instead, Chrome took up that market.

You only need to look at the few updates Microsoft has issued for IE over the years. The browser has virtually remained stagnant since 2015. A report tabled by NetMarketShare reveals that Edge market share has increased a little bit, but IE’s share has declined significantly (55%) year-over-year.

As at December 2015, IE had a market share of 46.32%, while as at November 2016, it has 21.66%. Currently, its market share stands at just 20.84%. The report also reveals that as of late 2016, only 22% of Windows 10 users use Edge browser. NetMarketShare report also reveals that at one point, both IE and Edge lost 40 million users in a span of just one month.

The biggest gainers from IE losses are Google Chrome and to some extend Mozilla Firefox, both of which recorded 56.43% and 12.22% growth respectively.

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