Firefox Soars and Apple's Safari Jumps as 2005 Browser Share Race Leads to a Powerful Finish.ALISO VIEJO, Calif. -- NetApplications, a provider of Web-based applications See Web application. that measure, monitor and market Web sites for Small to Medium Enterprises (SME (1) (Small and Medium-sized Enterprise) See SMB. (2) (Subject Matter Expert) An individual who is well-versed in the policies and procedures of a particular department or division. ), today announced its monthly Web site browser browser Software that allows a computer user to find and view information on the Internet. The first text-based browser for the World Wide Web became available in 1991; Web use expanded rapidly after the release in 1993 of a browser called Mosaic, which used statistics for year-end 2005. 2005 marked the return of the Browser Battles, as Microsoft Internet Explorer See Internet Explorer. faced heated challenges from Firefox, Safari, Netscape and Opera. Microsoft Internet Explorer ended 2004 with 90.31% browser usage market share, and steadily lost ground, ending 2005 with 85.05% market share. Microsoft promises IE's first major upgrade in years in 2006, but has also announced that it is abandoning the Mac version of IE. Mozilla Firefox See Firefox. championed the open source browser concept and is the primary challenger to IE's dominance. Firefox ended 2004 with 4.64% market share and although it started 2005 on fire, it cooled off during the summer months. Toward the end of the year, after releasing Firefox 1.5, it regained its momentum and closed the year at an impressive 9.57%. Apple's Safari browser enjoyed a highly successful 2005 as the only browser to gain market share each and every month of the year. Safari ended 2004 in fourth place with 1.56% market share. Safari gained steadily to end 2005, and leaped past Netscape to grab the third leading browser spot at 3.07% market share. Netscape joined IE as the only browsers to lose market share in 2005. Netscape ended 2004 with 2.07% of browser usage market share, and was the third leading browser at the time. After an admitted error in reporting itself as either Firefox or IE was discovered and fixed, and an announced deal with HP to include Netscape browsers See Netscape. with new computers, Netscape enjoyed a brief surge in September to 2.16%. However, Netscape ended 2005 in 4th place with 1.24% browser usage market share. Opera browser from Opera Software ended 2005 with 0.55% browser usage market share, which is exactly where it ended in 2004. Opera held steady while it completely changed its business model, going from a choice of a free browser with banner ads A graphic image used on Web sites to advertise a product or service. Banner ads come in numerous sizes, but are often rectangles 460 pixels wide by 60 pixels high. Also 460 x 55 and 392 x 72 sizes are commonly used. or a paid browser without the banners to a free browser without ads model. Opera browser maintains a strong presence on handhelds, and as those devices start to become more prominent, Opera is well-placed to take advantage of it. "The close of 2005 marks the end of the calendar year, but also sets the stage for a very interesting 2006," observed Vince Vizzaccaro, executive vice president of marketing and strategic relationships at NetApplications. "While any company would be thrilled thrill v. thrilled, thrill·ing, thrills v.tr. 1. To cause to feel a sudden intense sensation; excite greatly. 2. To give great pleasure to; delight. See Synonyms at enrapture. to hold Microsoft's 85% market share, IE can not rest lightly. Netscape also once owned a huge percentage prior to IE's debut." Vizzaccaro continued, "FireFox is very close to hitting a critical mass of 10% which could mean a more rapid adoption rate. However, IE won't go away quietly as major, and long overdue OVERDUE. A bill, note, bond or other contract, for the payment of money at a particular day, when not paid upon the day, is overdue. 2. The indorsement of a note or bill overdue, is equivalent to drawing a new bill payable at sight. 2 Conn. 419; 18 Pick. upgrades are expected to be released in 2006. With Microsoft abandoning the Mac, combined with Apple's continuing market share gains, Safari has even more room to grow. Netscape seems to have been hit hard by Firefox's success, so 2006 will test the company's vigilance VIGILANCE. Proper attention in proper time. 2. The law requires a man who has a claim to enforce it in proper time, while the adverse party has it in his power to defend himself; and if by his neglect to do so, he cannot afterwards establish such claim, the to hold on to and increase its user-base." December Browser Market Share: Microsoft Internet Explorer -- 85.05% FireFox -- 9.57% Safari -- 3.07% Netscape -- 1.24% Opera -- 0.55% Other -- 0.53% November Browser Market Share: Microsoft Internet Explorer -- 86.08% FireFox -- 8.84% Safari -- 2.78% Netscape -- 1.25% Opera -- 0.53% Other -- 0.43% Additional statistics are available at http://marketshare.hitslink.com. HitsLink(tm) is NetApplications' flagship product A primary product of a company, which is typically why the company was founded and/or what made it well known. For example, MS-DOS, Windows and the Microsoft Office suite have been flagship products of Microsoft. CorelDRAW is a flagship product of Corel Corporation. , providing advanced website statistics and analysis for webmasters and eMarketers alike. The HitsLink Enterprise Service starts at $14.95 per monthly subscription. A free trial is available at www.HitsLink.com/trial. About NetApplications Since 1999 NetApplications has been a leading source of tools and utilities for webmasters and eMarketers for small to medium enterprise (SME). The company has a complete suite of simple and affordable subscription-based applications that are designed to help users have greater success with their Web site marketing efforts. Headquartered in Aliso Viejo, California Aliso Viejo is a city in Orange County, California, United States. As of the 2000 census, Aliso Viejo population was 40,166. Aliso Viejo became Orange County's 34th city on July 1, 2001, and has been the only city in Orange County to incorporate since 2000. , NetApplications distributes its services through over 3,000 partners and affiliates. These services may also be found at www.netapplications.com, www.hitslink.com, www.submitter.net, www.publishplus.com, www.1stwarning.com and www.toolshack.com. |
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