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Firefox 4 rockets to 5% global usage share, IE9 wallows at 1.5%
Interestingly, we can see IE9 dipping between March 20 and 21, just before the 'Important' Windows Update rolled out. It's hard to say whether IE9 is only growing because of the installed-by-default Windows Update, but that small dip definitely sticks out -- did excitement peter out? Did people download IE9, try it out, and summarily uninstall it? Perhaps, given their close proximity, the stats show an attention shift from Microsoft to Mozilla?
Numbers-wise, if the bottom left corner of the graph shows 2.3 million downloads for IE9, we can guesstimate that that it has now been downloaded 5 million times. Firefox is clocking in at 37 million downloads after five days of public availability.
We wonder whether Microsoft knew its release schedule would coincide so closely with Firefox 4. Internet Explorer 9 -- a great browser by almost every metric -- was never going to do well against anything emanating from the maws of Mozilla. The main thing, though, is that Microsoft has now shown that it's serious when it comes to the Open Web. If Internet Explorer 10 is good, and 11 and 12, then we might finally see it compete with the zealous Mozillan horde.
Comments
13
Subscribe to commentsdodutilsMar 28th 2011 6:21AM
One important thing is that IE9 do not run on XP !!! so a big part of IE7/8 users will never be updated.
Sebastian AnthonyMar 28th 2011 6:24AM
@dodutils Indeed, they will be 'forced' to use Firefox 4. A fate worse than death!
EuroSceptiCMar 28th 2011 6:39AM
@dodutils
Another important thing is that many-many people considering IE as part of the OS and just downloading it as any normal update...
Well, to be fair, I'll say too like many others... IE 9 became really good browser. It's now my secondary browser. Worth took its place. I've uninstalled any other. Really like it.
But, be prepared for Fx 4.2 which that version has already fixed more than 200+ bugs! Perfecting version 4! Also, keep in mind that Fx5 will be even more the meticulous processing of 4 with few additions...
Right now, in 4.2a1 "smooth scrolling" is already just one small step behind IE's. Hardware Acceleration, too! That function is getting some serious fixes and touching IE's results!
And after all... Fx is Fx! With ABP becomes in fact the fastest browser! The most customizable! The best Add-on system! What else a kind of "power user" want to be able to suggest it to friends, family etc!
SlashZakuMar 28th 2011 6:28AM
Has anyone been able to gauge XP users in all this, since Microsoft opted out of IE9 for that crowd?
SlashZakuMar 28th 2011 6:29AM
@SlashZaku: Guess I should have reloaded the page first. Someone else pointed out XP before me. Mozilla, Google and Opera are still keeping XP in mind (for now) so I think it's kind of weird that MS would pass them up.
EuroSceptiCMar 28th 2011 6:46AM
@SlashZaku I strongly believe that all vendors would like to do that... I mean, to drop support of such old OS. But they haven't the power to do so... They aren't so comfortable with full freedom of movements to do so...
Microsoft in my opinion doing the right thing. It's time to move on. And please, don't start telling me "but, but, so many people can't afford or just don't want to proceed, bla bla".
jeffkwapilMar 28th 2011 11:02AM
RE: "Mozilla, Google and Opera are still keeping XP in mind (for now) so I think it's kind of weird that MS would pass them up."
It's another nudge to urge people to upgrade to Windows 7. Mozilla and Google don't make any $$ when you upgrade to Win 7. Microsoft would be happy to sell you an upgrade and happy to reduce its XP support costs.
I bet it took a lot more work to exclude XP than it would to make IE9 work on XP. How many programs don't work on XP?
Matthew W.Mar 28th 2011 9:46AM
I have a question...why does this matter? Not trolling here, just honestly wondering why it's worth measuring and talking about.
EuroSceptiCMar 28th 2011 10:27AM
@Matthew W. For the companies, it does matter for obvious reasons. For average users, in their vast majority doesn't matter at all. But still, for many users It is/acts a/as psychological factor.
XenoMar 31st 2011 10:31PM
@Matthew W. - it's for the sake of conversation - it's human nature.
master811Mar 28th 2011 1:14PM
@jeffkwapil I don't think it's just them not wanting to force users to upgrade to Vista or 7, but that XP also doesn't have the GPU accelerated aero desktop that those do, and which IE9 requires to actually do a lot of it's GPU accelerated rendering.
XenoMar 31st 2011 10:24PM
@jeffkwapil - Microsoft shot itself itself in the foot with IE9.
NoPanShabuShabuMar 28th 2011 6:10PM
Doesn't seem so impressive to me since all of that "meteoric rise" came at the expense of Firefox 3.6 (at least by the Statcounter stats.)