In last month’s browser chart, Chrome had been struggling to jump above 50% usage. The browser fares better in July’s StatCounter statistics …
Worldwide Desktop & Tablet Browser Statistics, June to July 2015
The following table shows browser usage movements during the past month.
| Browser | June | July | change | relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IE (all) | 18.49% | 17.18% | -1.31% | -7.10% |
| IE11 | 11.33% | 10.84% | -0.49% | -4.30% |
| IE10 | 1.83% | 1.73% | -0.10% | -5.50% |
| IE9 | 2.20% | 1.95% | -0.25% | -11.40% |
| IE6/7/8 | 3.13% | 2.66% | -0.47% | -15.00% |
| Edge | 0.00% | 0.05% | +0.05% | n/a |
| Chrome | 49.77% | 51.89% | +2.12% | +4.30% |
| Firefox | 16.09% | 15.68% | -0.41% | -2.50% |
| Safari | 5.41% | 4.20% | -1.21% | -22.40% |
| iPad Safari | 5.14% | 5.54% | +0.40% | +7.80% |
| Opera | 1.62% | 1.81% | +0.19% | +11.70% |
| Others | 3.48% | 3.65% | +0.17% | +4.90% |
Worldwide Desktop & Tablet Browser Statistics, July 2014 to July 2015
The following table shows browser usage movements during the past twelve months:
| Browser | July 2014 | July 2015 | change | relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IE (all) | 21.36% | 17.18% | -4.18% | -19.60% |
| IE11 | 9.08% | 10.84% | +1.76% | +19.40% |
| IE10 | 3.34% | 1.73% | -1.61% | -48.20% |
| IE9 | 3.30% | 1.95% | -1.35% | -40.90% |
| IE6/7/8 | 5.64% | 2.66% | -2.98% | -52.80% |
| Chrome | 45.39% | 51.89% | +6.50% | +14.30% |
| Firefox | 17.50% | 15.68% | -1.82% | -10.40% |
| Safari | 10.57% | 9.74% | -0.83% | -7.90% |
| Opera | 1.34% | 1.81% | +0.47% | +35.10% |
| Others | 3.84% | 3.70% | -0.14% | -3.60% |
(The tables show market share estimates for desktop browsers. The ‘change’ column is the absolute increase or decrease in market share. The ‘relative’ column indicates the proportional change, i.e. 22.4% of OS X Safari users switched browsers last month. There are several caveats so I recommend you read How Browser Market Share is Calculated and StatCounter vs NetMarketShare.)
Congratulations Google. Chrome leaped more than 2% in July and is now used by half of all desktop users — a figure not seen since IE’s “glory” days. While there’s little difference between the top browsers, Chrome is almost as good or slightly better than others in most areas. That said, there’s a new competitor on the block …
Microsoft’s new Edge browser was released with Windows 10 on July 29, 2015. It’s had minimal impact on the charts so far but that will change:
- Initial indications are promising. Edge is unobtrusive, very fast, looks good and has some interesting features.
- Edge will become your default browser in Windows 10 unless you change settings during the update or after installation.
- Legal restrictions have ended. Microsoft has served time, paid the fines and satisfied the US and EU regulators. Google and Apple now pose a bigger threat.
Look out for a full review of Edge on SitePoint soon.
The only other browser to increase market share this month was Opera. 0.19% may not sound much and the figures can fluctuate but the browser has reached a level not seen since 2012. I find myself turning to Opera regularly. It’s not the browser it once was, but it’s faster than Chrome and ideal for testing. Opera is reporting a 70% speed increase for version 31.
It was grim news for other vendors. All versions of IE dropped, Firefox slipped below 16% and Safari on OS X lost more than a fifth of users. The iPad version of Safari increased a little but it still lost 0.8% overall.
Worldwide Mobile Browser Statistics, June to July 2015
Mobile usage grew by a massive 3.2% last month to reach 39.48% of all web activity. That’s a huge leap. The summer months in the Northern hemisphere may be partly responsible but mobile usage rarely drops.
The top mobile browsing applications:
| Mobile Browser | June | July | change | relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chrome | 32.97% | 33.82% | +0.85% | +2.60% |
| iPhone | 18.84% | 18.96% | +0.12% | +0.60% |
| Android | 15.71% | 15.16% | -0.55% | -3.50% |
| UC Browser | 14.91% | 14.93% | +0.02% | +0.10% |
| Opera Mini/Mobile | 11.93% | 11.63% | -0.30% | -2.50% |
| IEMobile | 2.06% | 2.11% | +0.05% | +2.40% |
| Others | 3.58% | 3.39% | -0.19% | -5.30% |
The numbers may have risen but the browser share proportions remained mostly static. Chrome increase is offset by the drop in Android usage but it’s rapidly gaining on its desktop counterpart.
There is a large variety of mobile browsers but choice remains fairly limited. iPhone users are forced to use Safari (regardless of what they think they’re using). Chrome beats most competitors by a significant margin on Android. Windows users have few alternatives to IE Mobile and those with a feature phone won’t find better than Opera. Only UC Browser has made an impact — it’s owned and promoted by Alibaba which is huge in China and India (think Amazon, but 50% bigger!)
Those who upgrade regularly tend to stick with the OS they love and few try alternative browsers. However, the market is not kind to those who let their systems and browsers stagnate. Apple: do you really want to be the next Nokia or Blackberry? …
Craig BucklerCraig is a freelance UK web consultant who built his first page for IE2.0 in 1995. Since that time he's been advocating standards, accessibility, and best-practice HTML5 techniques. He's created enterprise specifications, websites and online applications for companies and organisations including the UK Parliament, the European Parliament, the Department of Energy & Climate Change, Microsoft, and more. He's written more than 1,000 articles for SitePoint and you can find him @craigbuckler.
