iOS Safari Lead Widens Against Android In Mobile Browser Share

Data from the latest Net Applications market share report was highlighted for the metric change that negatively affected Google's Chrome desktop browser ratings, but something also interesting to note was the widening gap between iOS and Android when it comes to the mobile space. Safari may be behind Chrome on desktops, but in mobile it is by far the most used browser.

Net Application's February data had revealed that Chrome for desktop dropped from 18.94% to 18.90% due to the exclusion of counting "unviewed vists" generated by the browser's unique pre-rendering technology. Apple's Safari browser managed a measly 5.24% of desktop browser share, trailing quite distant behind Chrome.

However, when it comes to mobile web browser usage, as in phones and tablets, the ratings are dramatically different. Safari usage on iOS continues to climb, now reaching 61.2% of mobile web browser share, up from 54.9% in January. In contrast, the distant second, Android, has only 18.6% share, followed by Opera Mini with 14.42%. BlackBerry managed 1.72% and Symbian 1.48% to round out the top five.

In the mobile space Chrome had 0.01% share, but with the new developments on Chrome for Android, it'll be interesting to see if there will be any shifts in mobile browser share in the months ahead. Google recently promised that many major improvements are on their way to Chrome for Android.