Browser Ballot Screen Early Feedback Shows Little Impact on Market Share
Browser Ballot Screen Early Feedback Shows Little Impact on Market Share
Posted 10/10/2010 at 7:46pm
| by Justin Kerr
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When Microsoft agreed to add a browser ballot screen to copies of Windows sold in Europe, many questioned just how much of an impact this would have on Internet Explorer’s market share. If you count yourself among the naysayers then feel free to make a triumphant fist pump, because the early feedback would seem to agree with you. According to the New York Times the first six months of data is suggesting that the browser ballot screen is having only a minor influence on the browser decision making process, and has renewed the debate over the effectiveness of mandated antitrust remedies.
According to StatCounter reports, Microsoft’s European share has dropped from 44.9 percent in January to around 39.8 percent today, but it’s almost impossible to tell if the browser ballot screen is to blame. Experts argue that the decline curve seen in the EU matches losses in other markets, with much of the lost IE business moving over to Google Chrome. Google’s share of the European market has doubled to 11.9 percent over the past twelve months, and they even managed to pick up 5.8 percent during the same period in which IE shed 5.1 percent. Is this the result of the browser ballot screen? Or just Google making a more compelling product?
What would you do if you were greeted with a browser ballot screen with your new install? For many people Internet Explorer is the best browser for downloading other browsers, but would you actually want a Windows PC without it at all? Let us know after the jump and help us conduct our own unofficial survey.
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Mighty BOB!
October 11, 2010 at 3:14pm
I keep IE around for the rare website that doesn't work in any other browser, but 99% of my browsing is done with Firefox.
PawBear
October 11, 2010 at 8:11am
Everyone uses a browser, but ms should tear IE out of the os completely. Try to go to Ms update without it. Some programs insist on it to function or upgrade.
I like the ballot. More people have a chance to be exposed to better options, but I wonder what's going to occur when a European user can't access Ms update manually. They'll end up installing IE anyway, obviously by design.
MxPc, you're doing a lousy job with this spamming. Are there no webmaster professionals in your offices?
Caboose
October 12, 2010 at 7:32am
Waa! Waa! Waa!
Like someone else said, it's time to upgrade your OS!
routine
October 11, 2010 at 7:15am
I have a solution to the problem.
Force 20% of the population to use IE. 20% of the population to use Chrome, 20% for FF, 20% for Opera, and 20% for Safari.
Problem solved.
praetor_alpha
October 11, 2010 at 5:25am
While I harbor as much anti-Microsoft sentiment as the next average guy here, when the EU told MS to not include IE, that's exactly what they should have gotten. When they demanded this ballot crap, I was "wtf, they did what you wanted." While they are at it, go after Apple with Safari and various Linux distros.
I think that the ballot is an inherently bad idea (government intervention is usually bad). The browser market is very alive with competition anyway. People who use IE will probably continue to use IE, even if they are propmted with a choice like this.
Besides, these are BROWSERS, not wives. You can (should) have more than one.
emzfrendcrisis
October 11, 2010 at 8:36am
It would only be fair that they go after apple about them including safari as the default browser in osx.
Ghok
October 10, 2010 at 10:51pm
I had to register a Windows Live account in order to play a game I'd bought (I also had to use SecuRom, and was already logged in with Steam - I wish I hadn't bought the damn game!) I followed the in-game hyperlink, and it popped up in IE, even though it's not my default browser. I hadn't used IE in such a long time, I was surprised to see it.
Neufeldt2002
October 10, 2010 at 10:07pm
The first thing I do after a fresh install of Windows 7 is uninstall IE. I would love it if IE and Windows were not bundled together.
bbarker3
October 10, 2010 at 8:59pm
The first thing I do after installing an OS is go to Mozilla's page and download Firefox. Don't get me wrong, I love Microsoft, but Firefox has them beat on a web browser.
Ry03
October 10, 2010 at 8:54pm
I would not mind not having IE. I did disable IE on my Windows 7 install
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