Has Google's browser peaked already?

At the beginning of September, Google launched a trial version of its Chrome web browser, opening up another front in its war against Microsoft. Now that the dust has settled on the launch, it's time for an update.

Google claims that Chrome loads pages faster and more securely than rival browsers, which should encourage internet users to consider making the switch.

But take a look at the graph above (click to enlarge) - sourced from web analytics company GetClicky. It shows that after its launch to a frenzy of news coverage Chrome peaked with a 3.1% share of the browser market. Since then it's been a steady decline, down to just over 1.5%. And it looks like it will stay that way.

Over the same period, Microsoft's Internet Explorer has seen next to no dent in its market share, which remains virtually unchanged at around 57.2%.

It's still early days of course, but it seems Google has a job on its hands if Chrome is ever to rival Firefox, let alone Internet Explorer. It's possible that most consumers are simply unaware that Google's browser exists. There was a clear frenzy of Chrome-related interest early in September, but that has dwindled away now as the figure from Google Trends to the left shows.

For a time the browser was even featured on the famously minimalist Google search page which must have boosted downloads, but it has since disappeared. Quite why is anybody's guess. But if Google is serious about getting the message across, we can expect to see many more comic strips in the months to come.

Colin Barras, online technology reporter

Original here