Is Safari Losing Its Market Share? Microsoft Edge and Firefox are Closing in

Urian B., Tech Times 22 February 2022, 02:02 am

Safari remains the second most popular browser ranking below Google Chrome and although it's been like that for a while, its competitors are slowly closing in. Both Microsoft Edge and Firefox's market share are slowly catching up to Safari's 9.84% control over desktop users.

Apple's Safari Couldn't Compete with Google Chrome

According to the story by 9to5Mac, Apple's very own Safari browser has not been able to compete with Google Chrome, which currently holds more than half of the total market share when it comes to web browsers.

Apple's browser, however, has been able to stay strong in second place but new data shows that it could lose its rank to its competitors which are closing in. As seen on StatCounter, reported by TechRadar, Safari is still the "second most used desktop web browser" as per January 2022.

Microsoft Edge and Mozilla Firefox are Closing In

Two of its competitors, however, Microsoft Edge and Mozilla Firefox, are closing in. As of the moment, Safari holds a 9.84% market dominance when it comes to desktop edge with Microsoft Edge following behind it with just 9.54%.

The difference between Safari and Microsoft Edge are closing in at just 0.30%. In addition, Firefox, as of January 2021, only held 8.1% but has grown to 9.18% during the past few months.

How Big is Google Chrome's Market Share?

Google Chrome retains its dominance at first place with a market share of 65.38%. In order to compare the drop in users, Safari actually held a 10.38% of desktop users back in January 2021.

The new data suggests that Apple's own web browser is slowly losing users to its competition. When it comes to the US market, however, Safari remains an "advantage against Microsoft Edge" having 18.12% compared to Microsoft's 12.09%.

No Details as to Why Safari is Losing Its Market Share

To make things more interesting, "Safari is only available on macOS" while other browsers still have to be installed on Macs and Windows PCs (except Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge for some).

Although no details were provided by Apple or StatCounter as to "why Safari is losing users," the article by 9to5Mac notes that it is easy to make assumptions as to the reason. As of the moment, Safari remains the default web browser for Apple devices like Macs and iPhones which contribute to the browser being the "second most used web browser worldwide."

What Happened to Safari's New Design?

In 2021, Apple completely redesigned Safari showing a unified address and tab bar which somehow didn't go too well with some users. The company then had to revert the design back to its original look making the new interface "optional for users."

As noted by 9to5Mac, however, the reverting of the Safari browser "wasn't enough to stop many users from switching to other web browsers."

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Urian B.