Latest stats on browser usage show that Firefox and Internet Explorer declined in number of users favoring Google Chrome. Internet Explorer remains at the prime spot, followed by Firefox, but Chrome is steadily gaining more users.

Chrome’s strength is very obvious with the data released by Net Applications. Other browsers like Opera and Safari still have their small population of users.

We rarely love numbers so take a look at the graph below to see the browsers’ usage shares:

 
The more important take on this news is that Chrome is gaining momentum due to the following factors according to analyst Joe Wilcox:

   1. Chrome is owned by Google and Google dominates search in most countries.
   2. Chrome favors web application that runs in the browser, from cloud instead of desktop (something that is a growing trend at the moment)
   3. Chrome is being advertised aggressively, both in the Internet (think of Google AdWords) and other media. In fact Chrome is now featured in TV advertisements.
   4. Chrome updates very fast, there have been 10-15 releases this year.

Chrome currently is not a threat on Internet Explorer which is still comfortable at the top spot. It is Firefox that should be worried. Firefox has long been the most popular open source browser enjoying thousands of themes and addons developed by third party web geeks. Chome’s apparent dominance might soon end Firefox’s reigns. But that won’t be as soon as this year according to NetApps. This, of course is contrary to StatCounter’s claim the Chrome will outshine Firefox by the end of 2011.

Perhaps in response to this Firefox is increasing its rate of development. Mozilla is currently working on FF versions 8, 9 and 10. Firefox 7 on the other hand will be released this week.