14 DAY TRIAL // While Microsoft’s pushing hard for users to migrate to Windows 10 and embrace the new Edge browser, Internet Explorer keeps losing ground, and new stats show that Google Chrome is very close to becoming the leading option for desktops around the world.
Data provided by Net Applications for the month of February 2016 shows that Internet Explorer 11 usage declined to 23.16 percent, with Chrome 48 growing significantly to eventually reach 22.10 percent.
Internet Explorer 8 is third in the chart, but very far behind, with 8.16 percent, followed by Firefox 44 and Internet Explorer 9 with 5.41 and 5.28 percent, respectively.
As far as the overall market share is concerned, Internet Explorer still leads the rankings with 45.91 percent, but it’s obviously losing ground very fast. Chrome is the big winner with 35.76 percent, followed by Firefox with 11.54 percent.
Internet Explorer in Windows 10
The decline experienced by Internet Explorer is partially because it is no longer the default browser in Windows 10, with Microsoft replacing it with Edge on both desktops and smartphones.
Microsoft Edge is Redmond’s big bet for the modern browser world, and it’s supposed to compete against leading apps from Google and Mozilla, but until now, its adoption seems to be impacted by the limited availability in Windows 10.
Internet Explorer continues to be available in Windows 10, though, but only as a backup option, and it’s not even pinned to the taskbar or the Start menu. Users can still launch IE if they want, as Microsoft believes that companies and enterprises working with internal apps might need this browser in case compatibility issues are experienced.
In the meantime, it’s very clear that with IE usage collapsing and Edge still far from becoming a hit, Google Chrome has all the chances in the world to take the leading spot in the coming months.