Most recollections of 2010 will cover both ups and downs, or at least acknowledge that bad stuff occurred while focusing on the good. But the Chrome Web browser enjoyed an overwhelmingly positive year, gaining market share 11 months out of 12 according to Net Applications, and the latest data indicates it ended 2010 with a share just shy of 10 percent.
Indeed, according to new statistics from Net Applications, Chrome ended 2010 with a market share of 9.98 percent. That’s up from 4.63 percent in December 2009, meaning it more than doubled its user base on a year-over-year basis.
Chrome also pulled off an impressive increase just between November and December, managing to boost its market share from 9.26 percent.
That month’s growth may or may not be sustainable, considering that one significant usage factor could have been the introduction of Google’s Cr-48 computers. Also, there was the Chrome for a Cause promotion that encouraged people to help charities by using the Web browser.
Still, it looks like Chrome is on a sustained upward trajectory, while its competitors aren’t at all so lucky. Internet Explorer saw its market share drop from 62.69 percent to 57.08 percent between December 2009 and December 2010, for example, and Firefox’s share shrank from 24.61 percent to 22.81 percent.
We’ll of course be sure to continue to keep an eye on things in 2011.