Internet Explorer Loses Share; Mac OS Gains

By Geoff Duncan February 3, 2009

Internet Explorer Loses Share; Mac OS Gains

Market analysis firm Net Applications tries to take a look at what browsers and operating systems are in use on the Internet…and it’s most recent updates shows Microsoft’s Internet Explorer Web browser continues to lose ground to Firefox and Apple’s Safari, while Apple’s Mac OS X operating system now accounts for nearly 10 percent of the market.

According to Net Applications, Internet Explorer accounted for a 67.6 percent share of the browser market in January 2009—still by far the market leader, but still a 0.6 percent loss compared to December of 2008, and the lowest percentage since Net Applications began tracking browser data in 2005. During the last year Internet Explorer has lost about 8 percent of its market share. Still, the 0.6 percent drop in January represents something of a better performance for IE: it lost 1.5 percent in November 2008, and 1.6 percent in December.

In contrast, Firefox increased its market share by 0.19 percent during the month, to end with a total of 21.5 percent of the browser market—a new record. And Apple’s Safari Web browser boosted its share by 0.36 percentage points to 8.3 percent, also a new all-time high. For the last three months, Safari has seen its share increase faster than that for Firefox. Google’s Chrome browser accounted for 1.1 percent of the market.

Net Applications has also released its January 2009 figures for operating system usage, and while Windows is (of course) still the top dog with an 88.26 percent share, Apple’s Mac OS operating system is approaching a 10 percent market share with 9.93 percent of the market. (Another 0.48 percent of the market is iPhones…which run a version of Mac OS X). Linux accounted for 0.83 percent of the operating systems market.

Editors' Recommendations

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Computing

Best laptop deals: Save on the Dell XPS 14, MacBook Pro 16 and more

The Dell XPS 14 on a white table with the screen open.

There are a lot of excellent laptop brands on the market, and if you're looking to pick up a new laptop, then you'll be happy to know that there are a huge ton of options out there, and there are a surprising amount of deals to be had. While it's true that desktop computers tend to offer a lot more in terms of specs, they aren't as portable, and for those who need to take their computers to work or school, the laptop is the only choice. On the bright side, you don't have to get one of the best laptops to get a well-specced machine, and that's part of the reason why we've collected some of our favorites below.
Since we've collected these deals from the best brands, you'll find HP laptop deals, Dell laptop deals, Acer laptop deals, Lenovo laptop deals, and more. They run the gamut from Chromebook deals and 2-in-1 laptop deals to powerful gaming laptop deals and everything in between.

HP Chromebook 14a -- $300, was $370

Computing

Best Apple deals: Save on AirPods, Apple Watch, iPad, MacBook

Apple MacBook Air M1 open, on a table.

Apple is one of the biggest companies in the world, and if you're looking for some great tech, then you probably already know that Apple makes some of the best wireless earbuds, the best smartwatches, the best laptops, and even the best tablets. That said, it does also garner a very premium price tag, which is a pretty big part of the brand itself, meaning that for a lot of folks in the Apple ecosystem, making any sort of upgrade or expansion to that ecosystem can be very costly. On the bright side, there are a ton of great Apple deals out there in the world, whether it's trade-in value from Apple, or direct discounts from Amazon and Best Buy, you have options.

That's why we've gone out and searched through various big retailers to find you some of the best deals we can find. That includes everything from the MacBook deals, AirPods deals, Apple TV deals and Apple Watch deals to the AirTag, so hopefully, you can find the perfect deal that fits your needs and budget.
Apple AirTag (4-Pack) -- $79, was $99

Computing

I tested the most popular free antivirus apps for Mac. Here are the very best

A MacBook Air is shown with the Bitdefender for Mac dashboard open.

If you’re a Mac user, you probably love the sleek desktop experience and how easy it is to use and understand. Luckily, it's not the most popular target for hackers, but antivirus software is still an important step in securing your Mac and protecting your personal and financial data from malware.

Finding the best antivirus software can be challenging. While subscription prices are affordable, your budget might already be tight. Thankfully, there are several good, free malware solutions for macOS. Here are our top picks for free antivirus software for Mac, each specially tailored to protect your Apple computer.
Bitdefender Virus Scanner