Browser usage stats update

It's been a while since we looked at the latest browser stats, so I thought I'd check out two browser statistic pages, "BrowserWatch" and"Web Trends" to see what they had to say about it all.According to BrowserWatch, Windows dominates the Web, with 58.7% ofall surfers using some version of the Microsoft OS. Macintosh is secondwith 27.1% and UNIX is a distant third with 4.43%. In BrowserWatch'ssomewhat dubious browser comparison, Netscape Navigator (all versions)hold only a thin lead over Internet Explorer, 46.2% to 42.2%. Allother browsers are statistically negligible. Even I don't believe it'sthat close, BTW.Over at Web Trends, you can watch the browser wars proceed month tomonth. According to that page, Netscape Navigator's lead slipped to54.4% by the end of December, while Internet Explorer nudged up againto 33%. Web Trends also notes that the vast majority of Navigator and Internet Explorer users are browsing with version 3.0 of theirrespective browsers with 4.0 versions of each making their first hits.So what's the truth, you ask? If you browse the Netscape page, theywill cite a survey saying that their share has never dipped below80%. This is ludicrous, of course. On the other hand, I don't thinkanyone believes that Navigator and Internet Explorer are neck andneck, as BrowserWatch indicates. My theory is that the truth issomewhere in the middle, as the Web Trends figures suggests. What this means for Web publishers is that Navigator is still the target market to shoot for. On the other hand, those ignoring Internet Explorer do so at their own risk. In the end, any browser stats are going to be open to criticism.Update:Interestingly, another one of Netscape's wild claims came under firethis week: the company claims that 12 million people are using theE-mail program that is bundled with Navigator. While no one doubtsthat at least 12 million people downloaded Navigator, few, if anybelieve that that many people use the E-mail component. Of course,Netscape also claims that 50 million people use their browser. Thehighest estimate of the number of people using the Internet is in the30 million range, making Netscape's figures unrealistic. Accordingto Windows magazine, the figure is closer to 18 million. I myself have downloaded Netscape at least 12-15 times in the past few years, and I do not use their E-mail component.Want more information? BrowserWatch http://www.browserwatch.com Web Trends http://www.interse.com/webtrends