Microsoft announced on Thursday that one out of five global Windows 7 users also surf the web with its latest browser, Internet Explorer 9. Highlighting its domestic success, the company boasted a slightly greater number of U.S. residents running both: nearly 30 percent. With Google's Chrome and Mozilla's Firefox nipping on its heels (especially outside the U.S.), can the software giant maintain its lead?
Citing figures from Internet technology usage aggregate Netmarketshare, Roger Capriotti, Director of Internet Explore Marketing, was unsurprisingly pleased by the "important milestones."
"IE9 was built to take advantage of the unique capabilities of Windows 7 and it’s great to see more and more Windows 7 users picking IE9 as their browser of choice to get them to their favorite sites," wrote Capriotti at the Windows Team Blog. "Growth of IE9 on Windows 7 is really just a reflection of how the web experiences we all enjoy get better when using a browser and operating system designed to put those experiences front and center."
However, Microsoft's August accomplishments belie what is actually a tight race worldwide.
While IE9 enjoyed a 20.4 percent usage rate by Windows 7 users around the world, Chrome 13 wasn't too far behind. Google's new browser topped 18 percent last month. Firefox 6, which released a few weeks ago, held just over 13 percent. In the U.S., IE9 fared better, garnering 27.7 percent. Usage shares for Chrome and Firefox were less than their global standings - at 12.7 percent and 11.3 percent, respectively.
Microsoft's focus on the combination of IE9 and Windows 7 is understandable. In July, the company announced 400 million Windows 7 licenses had been sold worldwide and confirmed that Windows XP, its former darling platform, would not be supported beyond Spring 2014. Microsoft also barred IE9 from running on XP - a decision that drew flak from aggrieved users who haven't updated.
Released in March, Internet Explorer 9 featured several technical improvements over its predecessor, including quicker web browsing, HTML support and anti-tracking security. It also borrowed Chrome's popular address bar search function.
Microsoft is currently developing its next OS platform, Windows 8. No official release date has been divulged.
What's your preferred browser? Let us know in the comment section.
