Microsoft's IE reclaims ground in browser wars

After losing much ground to newcomers like Firefox, Chrome, and even Safari and Opera, Microsoft's Internet Explorer battled back a bit in March, a tech site said.

 

The Microsoft product criticized for the security holes in IE 6 rose in worldwide usage from 52.8 percent in February to 53.8 percent in March, CNET reported.

 

"Microsoft, like Google, is backing IE with marketing dollars, too, including the usual sort of promotional videos and ones with self-deprecating humor. It's a lot easier to poke fun at your past failings when you feel like they're actually in the past," CNET noted.

 

In contrast, CNET said the same figures from web analytics firm Net Applications also showed IE's top four rivals dropped in terms of usage during the past month.

 

Mozilla's Firefox fell from 20.9 percent to 20.6 percent while Google's Chrome fell from 18.9 percent to 18.6 percent.

 

Apple's Safari fell from 5.2 percent to 5.1 percent, and Opera fell from 1.7 percent to 1.6 percent.

 

CNET noted that while IE has a built-in advantage of being bundled with Microsoft's Windows OS, its IE 9 and upcoming IE 10 have also improved greatly.

 

It noted Net Applications figures showing IE9, which works only on Windows 7 and up, continues to gradually supplant earlier versions, accounting for 11.4 percent of personal computer browser usage in December, 11.6 percent in January, 12.6 percent in February, and 15.7 percent in March.

 

Apple keeps dominance in mobile browsing

 

Meanwhile, CNET said the same figures showed Microsoft is far behind rivals with only 0.5 percent of browser usage.

 

In the browser field, Apple remains king, though its mobile Safari dropped from 61.2 percent of usage in February to 60.5 percent in March.

 

Google's Android browser dipped from 18.6 percent to 18.3 percent, while Opera Mini rose from 14.4 percent to 15.4 percent.

 

On the other hand, CNET noted that while mobile browsing is growing, so is desktop browsing.

 

It said 92.5 percent of browsers are on personal computers compared to 7.2 percent on phones and tablets. — TJD, GMA News