According to Net Applications’ NetMarketshare, Apple’s Safari web browser cracked the 8% mark for worldwide usage share.
Net Applications collects data from the browsers of site visitors to their exclusive on-demand network of HitsLink Analytics and SharePost clients. The network includes over 40,000 websites worldwide. Net Applications counts unique visitors to our network sites, and only count one unique visit to each network site per day. The data is compiled from approximately 160 million unique visits per month. The information published is an aggregation of the data from this network of hosted website traffic statistics.
More info vía Net Applications here.
Congrats to Safari, though everytime I launch it I want to rip my hair out. Chrome rules.
Hmm…why is that? I always liked Safari way better then Chrome.
On a side note though, at least webkit browsers are beating firefox, if only by a little 21.5% vs 21.48%. I think Firefox got way too bloated.
Also good to see explorer’s share continue to plummet.
Funny, I feel the opposite. Don’t understand the attraction to Google’s crippled craptastic browser. Safari does everything I need it to. Firefox I might understand but Chrome? Ugh.
Get real. Chrome is the prison shower rape of browsers.
Instead of comparisons to Safari, you’d be better off asking yourself what missteps in your life have lead you to commit your crimes, and consider the slimmer of enjoyment you’ve found inside during your incarceration is mearly a crutch preventing any serious repentance or self reflection.
What?
Ah, another Chrome user.
There is a typo ‘slimmer = sliver’ but if you failed to grasp the context, then you’ve got bigger problems than my auto-correct. Douchebag says …..?
My understanding is that Chrome sends info back to Google, when it shouldn’t.
The first cookie set after Firefox launches is for Google.
Are you serious, chrome?
Really… really?
Google took the safari web-kit (which apple open-sourced) and built a minimalist browser that has half the features of safari (unless you count sending google all your info a feature) and few or no advantages.
I am all for “back to basics” minimalist versions but when (as in chrome’s case) it is no better than the original, contains gobs of google spyware, and has flash imbedded into the code (so you can’t turn it off) what is the draw of chrome?
I just don’t get it… at all.
To each his or her own. I have used Safari as my primary browser since 2007. It has gradually improved over time in terms of speed and functionality, and I don’t have any major gripes.
Does that count Safari on IOS devices?
I was wondering that too.
Actually, if you add Chrome and Safari, both based on Apple’s WEBKIT they have 21.5%, just a hair above Firefox.
So actually, Apple’s WEBKIT tech is #2.
I would go along with that, if it wasn’t for the fact they use two completely different JavaScript engines. Google built its own open source JavaScript engine called V8. Safari uses SquirrelFish, the open source JavaScript engine developed with Webkit.
This means web developers can’t just think of them as the same browser. Sites have to be tested in both Chrome and Safari because there may be JavaScript errors in one but not the other.
Chrome – I deleted ALL of it when I discovered just exactly what it installed and where, like the ‘google update daemon’ that installed itself as a startup item and ran continuously in the background.
Chrome is disgusting software, Safari all the way.
Wow…serious lack of a life…. arguing the merits of this or that browser… You have got to be kidding….try dating … Way more fun than any browser “experience”. …oh… I forgot… They use the browsers for their version of dating… Porn sites
I guess you wrote your post while out on a date? Or some other serious “life” activity?
@ Fan,
Oh, the irony!
This is a reasonable discussion of a ubiquitous computer tool – the web browser. It hasn’t devolved into name calling or a political debate. Besides, you could use that “dating” argument for a variety of occupations. For instance, you could be dating rather than spending time posting on this forum…
NONSENSE! Net Apps said that Safari cracked 10% a few years ago. After a few months they decided to modify their raw data and downgrade Apple by half, so the 10% dropped to 5%.
What did they do?
They decided to modify their raw traffic data by internet usage stats for each country. They got that data from the World Factbook. Of course, if you go to the World Factbook, the country by country data can be as much as 3 years old, AND, they equate an internet user as anyone who uses the internet once in a 3 month span, so a farmer in China counts as much as a blogger like Gruber. This inflates the internet stats for China, and deflates stats for the US. Thus, since the Mac has more traction in countries like the US, its usages stats were cut in half.
Net apps is bollocks.
“Geographic Shifts in Internet Usage Decrease iOS and Mac Share
The Mac and iOS devices show a one-time adjustment in February due to the new C.I.A. numbers, since they are less popular in China and other developing countries, they show less share. This does not mean that the Mac and iOS lost users.”
That’s what Net Apps wrote back in March. And, as I’ve pointed out, they cut the Mac numbers in half a few years ago, using the same idiotic modification due to the CIA World Factbook numbers.
True. Your primary point withstanding, I am, however, of the impression that Mr. Gruber, John is a heavy/happy user of the Chrome browser.
I had the impression that Gruber only uses Chrome for when he needs to run something in Flash; otherwise, he uses Safari.
I stand corrected then. Thank you.
Firefox is esthetically challenged. That doesn’t matter to some, though. Matters to me. Safari is the most elegant.
Firefox is sluggish, but it’s my primary browser for many years for their host of Add-ons that I use.
Some of them are now available on Safari now (I wouldn’t allow Chrome on my machines) but still it’s nowhere near FF exhaustive list.
Apple’s re-engineered Safari 5.1 has eliminated the random crashing experienced since Tiger, images content correctly, and is fast. Done with Firefox and Chrome, which add no further value for me.
Apple really did spruce it up in 5.1. It feels much more responsive.
Also, it seems like Apple really improved how plugins affect Safari’s overall stability. I know a couple websites that would always crash Safari if you closed the tab while Flash was still loading. That’s no longer a problem in 5.1.
Safari 5.1 does seem smoother and more stable. I am getting along fine with it. There are some interesting changes, however, such as the cookies preference changing from “allowing” to “blocking.”
Safari for Windows is certainly a bit bad (especially since they destroyed part of its appeal by removing the Aqua-like interface), but Safari for Mac destroys everything else.
As good as Safari is, you folk do know, I hope, that version 5.1 has some serious bugs.
In other words, 92% of people surfing the Net use a browser other than Safari. Now, that’s quite an accomplishment!