America Online, the internet unit of media giant AOL Time
Warner, has said that it will launch its new version of Netscape
web browser today, according to Reuters. However, Netscape’s global
usage share has dropped to 3.4 percent, according to figures
released yesterday.
America Online bought Netscape in 1998 shortly after signing a
deal with Microsoft to use Internet Explorer in the software it
provides to its ISP customers. According to Reuters, the new
version targets the mainstream internet user.
However, it is not clear yet whether the company plans to
challenge Microsoft’s dominant Internet Explorer by replacing it
with the Netscape browser in the new version of the AOL software to
be launched later this year.
Web research company WebSideStory yesterday reported that the
percentage of web surfers using Netscape worldwide is now at record
lows. The survey was produced by StatMarket, WebSideStory’s
software optimisation service that collects data from millions of
internet surfers per day.
It found that Internet Explorer has this year a global usage
share of just under 96%, up from about 87% a year ago. Other
browsers, such as Opera, make up the remaining 0.64% in
StatMarket's findings.
Geoff Johnston, vice president of product marketing for
StatMarket, said:
"The browser war is in fact a massacre. The
newest versions of Netscape have failed to win over users so far.
There are pockets of resistance in certain countries, but unless
AOL makes a move soon, Netscape may find itself battling Opera for
the last 1 to 2 percent of the market."
The report claims that Netscape is still stronger than the
global average in the US, Canada, Germany and Switzerland.
