Google Chrome vs Internet Explorer Google\'s Chrome has overtaken Microsoft\'s Internet Explorer as the most widely used web browser in the world, according to statistics released today. Data from web analytics service StatCounter showed that for the week of May 14-20 Chrome has averaged a higher share of web traffic for a full seven-day stretch.
The development will be welcome news for web designers, who have long struggled with the Microsoft browser\'s patchy implementation of new web coding standards.
Statcounter\'s data showed Chrome in the lead in the field of five major web browsers, with 32.76 per cent share of users, while IE dipped to 31.94 per cent.
The change in web browsing habits represents a remarkable decline for Internet Explorer, which four years ago boasted a market share of nearly 70 per cent.
While it is not the first time that Chrome has overtaken IE, it is the first time that Google\'s browser has held its position for an entire week - though still by less than a percentage point.
And while Chrome is leading the browser market worldwide, it is still lagging Microsoft\'s product significantly in the U.S. and the UK
In the U.S. IE leads the field with 37 per cent of users, compared to just 23 per cent for Chrome, while in Britain IE also takes about 37 per cent of users, with Chrome performing slightly better with nearly 29 per cent of the market.
The worldwide numbers are skewed by Chrome\'s strong performance in Asia and South America. In Asia the Google browser beats Microsoft\'s by about five percentage points while in South America Chrome beats IE hands down with nearly 50 per cent of the market to IE\'s 26 per cent.