Firefox takes top browser spot in Europe - StatCounter
Mozilla's Firefox browser has overtaken Microsoft's Internet Explorer as the leader in Europe, the first time Microsoft's browser has lost its top spot in a major market, a web analytics firm StatCounter said.
January 04, 2011 / 19:02 IST
Mozilla's Firefox browser has overtaken Microsoft's Internet Explorer as the leader in Europe, the first time Microsoft's browser has lost its top spot in a major market, a web analytics firm StatCounter said.
In December, the open-source Firefox took 38.1% of European market share, while Internet Explorer's share slipped to 37.5%. Google Chrome saw its share rising to 14.6% from just 5.1% a year earlier."This appears to be happening because Google's Chrome is stealing share from Internet Explorer while Firefox is mainly maintaining its existing share," Aodhan Cullen, StatCounter chief executive, said in a statement."We are probably seeing the impact of the agreement between European Commission competition authorities and Microsoft, to offer EU users a choice and menu of browsers from March last year," Cullen said.In December 2009, European Union regulators accepted Microsoft's pledge to give consumers better access to rival browsers, ending a long antitrust dispute.Since the beginning of March, Microsoft offered Europeans the option to choose from among 12 browsers on the more than 100 mn old and new PCs that use its Windows software.Globally, Internet Explorer's share slipped to 46.9% in December, while Firefox was at 30.8% and Google was at 14.9%, StatCounter said. Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
