Most people browsing the web just want a good browser. They don’t really care who owns it. Last week we reported that Chrome has overtaken Firefox to become the world’s second favorite (or most-used) browser. ‘So what?’, most people would shrug. But it’s a big business, and you can read more about how browsers make their money here.
Big business, very big
It’s a big business and as the web becomes mobile, it’s how people browse on smartphones and tablets that becoming increasingly important.
Recent browser trends for smartphones suggest more people use smartphone browsers that Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 6 and 7 combined. If anyone doubts the importance of the mobile web, this stat simply tells them to rethink.
The move from desktop browsing to mobile is the trend that everyone in digital is now watching with interest.
The top dog in mobile browsing is Opera Mini/Mobile (yes, you haven’t heard of it, so read more here), with 22.49% of the mobile market. Android is next with (20.41%) followed by iPhone (19.53%) and lagging behind are the Nokia browser (11.94%) and the Blackberry browser (8.2%). [Now would be a good time to sell RIM shares, the makers of Blackberry].
Who will dominate?
The battle for the mobile web, between the giants Google, Microsoft, Apple and Facebook is being waged. It’s like the next frontier … except it’s populated by billions of people with money and smartphones.
Who will dominate this new mobile and global economoy is anyone’s guess but Google, so far, is showing the most promise with its open source Android operating system and its recent investments in encouraging companies and advertisers to embrace the mobile web (see video).
