Apple’s Safari web browser has overtaken Microsoft Edge and regained its position as the second most used desktop browser in the world, according to data from Statcounter. Safari holds a market share of 11.87%, while Edge lags slightly behind at 11%. The most popular web browser remains Google Chrome, which holds a 66.13% share of the market. The increase in Safari’s popularity can be attributed to new features added with macOS Ventura, such as web push notifications, Shared Tab Group, strong password editing, and Passkeys. Despite these additions, Safari still lags behind its competitors in supporting some of the latest web standards, which may lead some users to switch to other browsers.
Microsoft Edge has been focusing on AI-based features to attract more users. It has integrated Bing Search with ChatGPT and the image generator DALL∙E. Meanwhile, Apple is expected to unveil major updates to Safari in June at WWDC 2023. While Safari has been losing its grip on the browser market in recent years, this recent uptick in usage may give Apple some optimism as it continues to innovate and compete against its rivals.
However, Apple’s grip on the mobile browser market is far stronger, with Safari still holding a dominant position on iPhones and iPads. Mobile browsing now accounts for more than half of all internet usage, and this trend is expected to continue. Safari has been optimized for mobile usage, and it is integrated seamlessly with Apple’s mobile operating system. This makes it an attractive choice for iOS users who want to browse the web on their mobile devices.
It is worth noting that the rankings provided by Statcounter may not be completely representative of the overall browser market. The data is collected from multiple websites, which may not be a fully representative sample. Additionally, the popularity of browsers can vary greatly depending on location and device type. Nonetheless, the data does provide some insight into the relative popularity of different web browsers, and the recent uptick in Safari’s usage is a positive sign for Apple as it continues to compete in this space.