Internet Explorer Going Strong, Users Finally Moving Away From IE 6

Depending on who is doing the talking, Microsoft Internet Explorer is the leader of the browser market. The various versions of IE continue to gain more users with popular competition like Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome.

The newest numbers from market research firm Net Applications reveal that all versions of Internet Explorer currently available for download are being used by 57.79 percent of computers the world over.

This clear domination is partly due to the fact that Microsoft bundles IE as the default web browser in Windows, and partly due to the fact that the company has made some impressive strides with the newer versions of its flagship browser.

Net Applications data further shows that there is a massive gulf between IE and its rival applications.

Mozilla Firefox, for example, is said to be powering 18.58 percent of PCs worldwide. Google Chrome, on the other hand finds itself used by 15.98 percent of the PC user base.

In terms of individual version numbers, IE 8 is still the number one flavor of Internet Explorer, with 21.39 percent of the market to its name. It is followed by IE 10 and Chrome 29 and their figures of 19.45 and 12.82 percent respectively.

Speaking of version numbers, Internet Explorer 6 is one browser that Microsoft is actively trying to mover users away from. The default Windows XP browser is still surprisingly popular, but users are finally giving up on it.

The data for the month of September 2013 shows a slight decline in global usage of IE 6.

As of this writing, this ancient version of Internet Explorer is still being used on 4.9 percent of computers the world over, down from the highs of around 6 percent the month before.