PREVIOUS ARTICLENEXT ARTICLE
NEWS
By 12 November 2012 | Categories: news

0

Google’s Chrome web browser has recently been updated with the release of version 23 of the popular desktop browser, as the company aims to build upon its worldwide browser market lead over rivals such as Microsoft’s Internet Explorer (IE) and Mozilla’s Firefox.

According to the latest figures (October 2012) from StatCounter, the internet technology giant’s desktop browser is doing just that, as its now utilised by 34.77% of the global web surfing community compared to 34.21% for September 2012.
 
Despite with the release of Windows 8 and the availability of IE 10, Microsoft’s share of the global desktop browser pie dropped slightly from 32.7% to 32.08% during October 2012. Completing the Top 3 is Firefox, as it claimed a 22.32% browser market stake that is virtually stagnant compared to September 2012’s 22.4%.

On the fringes we find Apple’s Safari browser with 7.81% of internet browser opting for Cupertino’s desktop browser, while Opera Software’s Opera browser claims an unchanged 1.63% stake of the global browser market.

 

How does the local browsing picture stack up to the worldwide image?

Compared to the global usage stats, the South African desktop browser picture looks quite different. IE dominates and lays claim to the lion’s share of the local browsing market at 46.63%, slightly down from September 2012’s 47.03%.

Chrome is a distant second place courtesy of its 23.04% share, whilst Firefox’s stake amounts to 19.19%. As is the case globally, the Safari and Opera browsers find themselves on the fringes, obtaining respective shares of 8.17% and 1.06% locally.

In other browser related news, Opera Software recently made Opera Mobile 12.1 for Android-powered smartphones and tablets available for download from Google Play. Opera Mobile 12.1 for Android has been optimised to run on four different chipsets, namely ARM v5 and v7, MIPS as well as X86.

USER COMMENTS

Read
Magazine Online
TechSmart.co.za is South Africa's leading magazine for tech product reviews, tech news, videos, tech specs and gadgets.
Start reading now >
Download latest issue

Have Your Say


What new tech or developments are you most anticipating this year?
New smartphone announcements (44 votes)
Technological breakthroughs (28 votes)
Launch of new consoles, or notebooks (14 votes)
Innovative Artificial Intelligence solutions (28 votes)
Biotechnology or medical advancements (22 votes)
Better business applications (132 votes)