State of the Web Browser, Q3 2013
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Web designers and front-end developers are very interested in the market share of the various web browsers. Not because we’re nerds, but because usage statistics dictate whether or not we need to design, and moreover, code, the web sites we create to support legacy web browsers.
Okay, part of it is because we’re nerds. But mostly the other thing.
Once an old web browser’s usage percentage drops below a certain level, web designers and developers stop supporting it. This allows us to implement newer technology which older software didn’t support, and makes our work far more efficient. Most importantly, it makes for an easier, faster experience for the web user. When to drop support for a legacy browser is a personal decision which varies from developer to developer. For example, Google’s Apps department dropped support for IE8 in November of 2012; many digital firms (ourselves included) are still supporting IE8, as we consider its current market share (9.3% of US-based users) to be too great to ignore. When a web designer drops support for a browser, it doesn’t necessarily mean the site will no longer function; it simply means that the site is no longer being tested with that browser, and its appearance and/or functionality may vary.
Let’s take a look at the data
Typically, we focus on US-based user data, as the vast majority of our clients, and most importantly, our clients’ clients are based stateside. Chrome is now used by over one third of Americans, and non-IE browsers make up over two thirds of the browser landscape. This would’ve been hard to imagine even five years ago (in 2008, about two thirds of users browsed with IE). While IE9 and IE10 have come a long way in support of web standardization, IE8 doesn’t support much in the way of recent web technology. Thankfully, its use has decreased from 14.5% a year ago to 9.3% today.
Along with legacy browser usage, web developers are also keenly interested in the prevalence of mobile devices accessing web sites. Web users are browsing via smartphones and tablets more than ever before; mobile use now makes up 15.2% of total web use in the United States, up from 10.6% one year ago (nearly a 50% increase). A study from June of this year found that 44% of Fortune 100 companies’ websites had neither responsive design nor a mobile-specific version. Surely even fewer small and medium-sized businesses are paying attention to the needs of mobile users.
The trends in web users’ trends are clear - the world is moving away from legacy browser technology and toward browsing via mobile devices. As the web evolves, it is crucial that your business’ web presence evolves along with it. Does your company address the needs of the modern web user? We help our clients provide a great user experience to their customers across desktops, smartphones, and tablets. Let’s talk about how we can do the same for your company.
Usage data from http://gs.statcounter.com