Numbers: Internet Doesn’t Like Internet Explorer 8

File this one under Gloating. A few weeks ago, we reported the rumor that Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 8 would be the final stop in the series, and given the reception of the just-released web browser, those suspicions just might be true.

PC World was reporting (using a tracker by Net Applications) that the new IE8 has failed to bring a significant amount of users from different browsers. In fact, they’ve lost some of their market share, which now stands at around 67% of the Internet, compared to almost 75% a year ago. Now, this isn’t an “abandon ship!” call, as 67% is obviously still the majority, but consider this: FireFox’s audience has grown almost 5% in that same time frame, with Apple’s Safari gaining a small audience from IE as well.

What does this mean? It means that IE8 was unable to innovate against the new market and bring some of the FireFox faithful onto their side. With Apple’s growing audience, Safari will be a surefire gain in the coming years. Google, obviously being Google, will definitely see a growth in their browser usage when enough word gets out about it. All of the aforementioned companies have spent significant resources upgrading their platform, making it more user-friendly while adding a bunch of neat features. What has Microsoft done?

Allowed users to remove IE8 from Windows 7, of course!

Obviously Microsoft will still own a very significant portion of the Internet browser share for as long as people own Windows operating systems, since the vast majority of users won’t mind some of the differences between IE8 and one of the competitors, but the question remains: just how long will that last until Mozilla finally takes most of the market share, and then what will Google accomplish later on?

Entry Filed under: Device Drivers