Every buddy knows Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 is already dead. The browser is antiquated, old, and chock full of vulnerabilities. Individuals have moved on by either updating to a new version of Internet Explorer or adopting a new browser. According to a new report by web analytics company StatCounter, Internet Explorer 6 is now used by only 4.7% of individuals in the United States. In comparison, the browser had 11.5% of the market share one year ago.
Now, while Internet Explorer 6 is losing market share fast, it appears that its Internet Explorer 8 counterpart is gaining ground. StatCounter reports that IE8 usage increase from 8.5% to 30.49% in a one-year period between May 2009 and May 2010. This suggests that when it comes to browsers, Microsoft is not doing really bad after all.
Following Internet Explorer 8 closely in second place is Firefox3.6, which currently has 19.85% of the U.S. market share. Google Chrome apparently has a long way to go, as it’s only being used by 6.53% of users.
Despite its lack of popularity in some countries, Internet Explorer 6 still remains the preferred browser in several corporations and developing countries, which makes it really difficult for the browser to be gone for good. However, various companies such as Google have dropped support of older browser, which could ultimately encourage users to upgrade to the latest version.
via Erictric