Google Chrome has finally toppled Internet Explorer as the world’s most popular web browser, ending the 18-year reign of Microsoft’s program.
According to NetMarketShare.com – known also as Net Applications.com, for the month of April, Chrome controls 41.66 percent of the market whereas Internet Explorer and Microsoft’s new Edge browser collectively have 41.35 percent.
Mozilla Firefox (9.76%), Apple Safari (4.91%) and Opera (1.89%) round up the top five.
On a version-by-version basis, NetMarketShare reports that Chrome 49 was the leader in April with a 21.79% share, besting runner-up IE 11 at 19.88%.
This marks the first time Chrome has surpassed Internet Explorer to assume the top spot. Chrome is unlikely to cede the position as Google plans to introduce a new Chrome design, made to be even more touch-friendly.
Internet Explorer has been dominant browser space since the latter stages of the 20th Century, and as recently as June 2015, IE had nearly double the share of Chrome (54.00% to 27.23%).
However, IE has been on the decline ever since, largely due to Microsoft’s decision to dump the browser for the new Microsoft Edge, for Windows 10, which was to Chrome’s benefit. The company in January announced it was ending technical support and security updates for all versions of IE except the current version IE 11.
Firefox has also been on the decline, according to Net Market Share, Mozilla’s browser saw a market share of 9.7 percent last month, down from 10.5 percent the prior month.
A rival tracker company, StatCounter, which measures usage differently than NetMarketShare, already had Chrome in the lead, with Firefox in second and Internet Explorer in third.
