Internet Explorer still leads the browser world

Mar 1, 2015 09:53 GMT  ·  By

Internet Explorer remained the world's number one browser on the desktop in February 2015, a new set of figures provided by Net Applications reveal, despite news that Microsoft is going to replace it with a completely new app in Windows 10.

Last month, a total of 57.38 percent of the desktop computers connected to the Internet were using Microsoft's in-house browser, down from 58.18 percent in January 2015.

Google's very own Chrome browser is second with a market share of 24.69 percent, while Firefox is even more behind with 11.60 percent.

Version-wise, Internet Explorer 11 is the king of the browsers with a share of 22.79 percent, followed by Internet Explorer 8 with 19.08 percent. IE8 has been the top browser in the world for months, but the arrival of IE11 and its release on both Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 made this version number one in a very short time.

Chrome 40 is the only non-Microsoft browser on the podium with 15.10 percent, while Firefox 35 is next with 8.43 percent. Windows 10's default browser Internet Explorer 11 is also among the most popular browsers with 5.43 percent.

Internet Explorer's future

Despite the fact that it's now the top browser in the world, Microsoft is working to replace Internet Explorer in Windows 10 with Spartan, a new application that relies on a modern engine and capable of providing features that would better align with Redmond's new strategy of a mobile-first, cloud-first world.

Spartan will come with a fresh look and support for extensions, which would obviously enhance the functionality of the app based on user's needs, but also with options that would make online collaboration and sharing easier than ever before.

Spartan is not expected to replace Internet Explorer from the very beginning in Windows 10, but only at a later time, as Microsoft still wants to prevent any compatibility issues that might arise because of the new engine. As a result, Spartan and Internet Explorer will be both available initially, but the first will replace the latter in a future update.

The new Spartan browser is also scheduled to arrive in preview form for members of the Windows Insider program sometime in the next few months.