Firefox 4 has overtaken the previous version Firefox 3.6 for the first time, reaching 14.2pc of the worldwide web browser market in May, according to data from StatCounter.
StatCounter Global Stats reveal that Firefox 4 is now at 14.2pc globally, overtaking version 3.6 which is now at 12.3pc of the market.
Following its launch on 22 March, Firefox 4 has overtaken Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 9.0, which is has 4.6pc globally and is just behind Google’s Chrome 11, which has 16pc.
“Firefox 4 has performed well since launch and is on an upward trajectory,” commented Aodhan Cullen, CEO, StatCounter.
“This is particularly impressive as a Firefox upgrade has to be initiated or authorised by the user, unlike Chrome, for example, which undergoes automatic updates.”
Forward momentum for Firefox 4
When all versions are combined, IE still leads the pack globally with 43.9pc, followed by Firefox with 29.3pc. The forward momentum, however, is with Chrome, which has increased from 8.6pc a year ago to 19.4pc in May 2011.
In the US, Firefox 4 is on 12.6pc compared to 10.7pc for Firefox 3.6 while IE 9 is on 5.9pc.
Cullen added that IE 9 is restricted by the fact it only runs on Windows 7 and Vista and not on XP, the worldwide market leader. When all browser versions are taken into account, IE leads the US market with 47pc, followed by Firefox on 25pc and Chrome on 15pc.
StatCounter Global Stats are based on aggregate data collected on a sample exceeding 15bn page views per month (4bn from the US) from the StatCounter network of more than 3m websites.
