Apple’s Safari browser has now reportedly hit over a billion users globally, that’s accounts for about 20% of the global browser users With a recent study by Atlas VPN pulled from data by GlobalStates and InternetWorldStats pointing to these giant figures, browser wars may just be on the verge of a resurgence.
But despite the number of users of Apple’s Safari hitting this huge number, it doesn’t come close to the figures of Google Chrome. According to reports, Google Chrome boasts of well over 3.3 billion worldwide users, that figure estimated at about 64% of the total browser market,. Microsoft Edge is next to Apple’s Safari with over 212 million users and is estimated for a little above 4% of the market. Firefox comes fourth with over 179 million users and an estimate of about 3% of global browser users. Samsung Internet comes at number five with nearly 150 million users estimated at about 2.85% of the market.
According to reports by Atlas VPN, Safari has become that popular and sitting almost at the top of the most used browsers globally as a result of its wide availability and security features. Chrome has showcased a little different approach. Atlas VPN’s report has revealed that Chrome’s “application drive design” attracts a lot of people than other browsers do. Google has driven so much used for its browser app and as well as its othered owned apps like YouTube, Maps, and Drive, which many continue to use frequently. Those many other apps by Google have led people to try out Google’s other services and eventually download Chrome, Atlas VPN claims.
Safari’s success has tied its own success to the fact that it’s readily available on all Apple devices. According to the study by Atlas VPN, what has expanded Apple’s success on its browser, is the security features this browser boasts of. Some of its fantastic features include its Intelligent Track Prevention feature which prevents hackers from tracking Apple users across websites.
Microsoft Edge and Samsung Internet quite share similarities with Apple’s Safari, except that the security features are not quite sophisticated like Apple’s. Edge has been the default browser across Microsoft devices, plus a period existed when it was pretty difficult to switch default browsers, which became a drive to more users. Samsung’s browser also defaults on all of its mobile devices, Samsung has quite a large following, which allowed for high adoption.
On the other hand, Firefox has stayed this popular thanks to its security features. The browser boasts quite a number of amazing extensions, Many users have considered these extensions valuable for the protection against various forms of malware. Also, Firefox has a Secure Shell network protocol, which ensures safe communication between devices, and is one of the few browsers that support it.
Even though 2021 wasn’t all that a great year for Apple in terms of security, many expect to see Apple make renewed efforts in that regard. Apple will be holding its big WWDC 2022 developer conference in a bit, it’s an opportunity to see the next iteration of Apple’s new microchip, iOS, macOS, rOS, and new security features for Safari perhaps.