Microsoft Edge has nearly toppled a major rival in the desktop browser war
Global browser market share for Microsoft Edge closing on Safari
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Thebrowserwars continue to rage unabated as the latest figures placeMicrosoftEdge on the verge of surpassingApple’sSafarioffering when it comes to desktop market share.
According todatafrom web analytics service StatCounter,Microsoft Edgeis now used on 9.54% of desktops worldwide, just behindSafariat 9.84%.
As you may have guessed,Google Chromestill holds the top spot at 65.38%, with fellow challenger MozillaFirefoxnow trailling in behind with 9.18%.
Microsoft Edge or Safari?
While Edge may be catching up to Safari worldwide, in North America it’s a different story, as Apple’s browser is used on 16.87% of desktops compared to Edge’s 11.93% market share.
In Europe and Asia though, Edge has already leapfrogged Safari at 10.9% and 7.46% respectively with Apple’s browser used on 9.95% of desktops in Europe and just 5.41% in Asia.
Since Safari is the default browser on Apple’siPhoneandiPad, it has a 26.71% of mobile market share worldwide which still pales in comparison to Chrome’s 62.06% market share on both iOS and Android.
Although Microsoft Edge has been downloaded over 10 million times on theGoogle Play Storeand the app has 4.6 stars on Apple’s App Store, the browser isn’t even listed in StatCounter’s mobile market share rankings.
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Edge Legacy vs Chromium Edge
WhileChromium-based Edgewas released in 2020, Microsoft originally created Edge Legacy forWindows 10and the company’s replacement for Internet Explorer was unveiled back in 2015. Before then, it was known by its codename “Spartan” in reference to Halo’s Master Chief.
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Even though Edge Legacy only lasted a short while, Microsoft did port the browser to both Android and iOS in 2017 and included the ability to sync the browser withWindows 10desktops. In March of last year though, Microsoftended support for Edge Legacybefore replacing its old browser with Chromium-based Edge as part of a cumulative monthly security update.
Following the release of its brand new Edge browser, the software giant has continued to update it with new features and functionality includingVertical Tabs,Collections,Web Captureand more. These efforts may not have dethroned Chrome but they have certainly taken away market share from Safari at least on desktop.
If you haven’t given Edge a try yet or only have experience with Edge Legacy, there’s never been a better time to test out Microsoft’s browser. For those that managed to snag anXbox Series X, Edge even runs on Microsoft’s console and can be used tostream games with Nvidia GeForce Now.
After working with the TechRadar Pro team for the last several years, Anthony is now the security and networking editor at Tom’s Guide where he covers everything from data breaches and ransomware gangs to the best way to cover your whole home or business with Wi-Fi. When not writing, you can find him tinkering with PCs and game consoles, managing cables and upgrading his smart home.
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