Browser Wars: Usage stats for August 2011
While most users take it for granted, a web browser is actually a complex piece of software.
On top of that, the web has evolved and your browser needs to be capable of rendering intricate web pages and provide a solid user experience to boot.
It is a good thing then, that there is so much choice to be had in browser software; whether you want something lean and minimalist, all the bells and whistles, or a browser with a specific subset of features that appeals to you.
If a browser doesn’t have everything you want, then the big 5 browsers, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and Opera, all let you load plugins and extensions to customise your browsing experience as you see fit.
Regardless of which you prefer, most like to know how their browser of choice is doing in terms of its global (and local) usage and cheer them on, or perhaps rage against the stacked odds.
The same way many South Africans like to watch sports, really.
Desktop browser usage stats
Now… without further ado, the worldwide and South African browser usage statistics as per StatCounter.
| StatCounter desktop browser stats: July 2011 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Browser | Worldwide | South Africa |
| Internet Explorer | 41.89% | 59.79% |
| Firefox | 27.49% | 19.91% |
| Chrome | 23.16% | 14.63% |
| Safari | 5.19% | 4.10% |
| Opera | 1.67% | 1.16% |
| Other | 0.60% | 0.41% |
As can be seen, Chrome’s global rise seems to continue unabated while Internet Explorer and Firefox continue to bleed usage share.
Safari’s usage also continues to steadily climb while Opera’s remains more-or-less stable.
We also recently started looking at browser usage on MyBroadband, the table and chart for which is shown below.
| Rank | Browser | 2011 August |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Internet Explorer | 33.22% |
| 2 | Firefox | 30.06% |
| 3 | Chrome | 23.31% |
| 4 | Safari | 6.26% |
| 5 | Opera Mini | 3.74% |
| 6 | Opera | 2.00% |
| 7 | Other | 1.41% |
MyBroadband August 2011 browser usage graph
Mobile browser usage stats
More people are starting to use the Internet from their mobile phones and tablet PCs, especially on the African continent.
The fact that Opera Mini usage on MyBroadband continues to be higher than that of the normal Opera desktop browser supports this. It is interesting to see the usage share of mobile browsers.
The table below shows the worldwide and South African usage share of mobile browsers according to StatCounter.
| StatCounter mobile browser stats: July 2011 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Browser | Worldwide | South Africa |
| Opera | 21.61% | 66.35% |
| Nokia | 16.99% | 13.73% |
| iPhone | 14.91% | 6.36% |
| Android | 19.72% | 4.38% |
| BlackBerry | 11.64% | 3.02% |
| NetFront | 4.05% | 1.33% |
| iPod Touch | 4.40% | 0.59% |
| Samsung | 0.62% | 1.65% |
| Openwave | – | 0.49% |
| UCWEB | 0.81% | – |
| Other | 5.25% | 2.10% |
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