Internet Explorer is still the dominant browser but it hit a new low in October by falling to 64.64 percent, while Firefox rose to 24.07 percent. Chrome and Safari also stole marketshare from IE, these browsers now stand at 3.58 percent and 4.42 percent, respectively.
It's unclear whether the trend will continue. Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer himself expected little direct help from Windows 7 in the short term as most users are only likely to buy Windows 7 pre-installed on a new PC rather than as a mid-cycle update from XP or Vista. The necessity of wiping a system clean to upgrade from XP to 7 also creates a barrier that Apple has exploited in ads, claiming that users may as well switch to a Mac if they need to start from scratch.