back to article IE9: Downloads beat Angry Birds, lag Firefox and Opera

Microsoft is claiming 2.3 million downloads of Internet Explorer 9 in the first 24 hours since the browser was officially released on Monday. As is customary among tech vendors releasing download stats, there's no way of validating the numbers' authenticity or assessing what they mean. Microsoft's stat certainly sounds …

COMMENTS

This topic is closed for new posts.
  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Are automatic update considered?

    Are automatic updates considered? IE9 isn't on Windows update yet.

    How many people upgraded to Chrome 10 in the first 24 hours :P

    They seem to know how to update, I just restarted Chrome to update it and it didn't lose what I had been typing above.

    1. Greg J Preece

      I was surprised at that too

      "Are automatic updates considered? IE9 isn't on Windows update yet."

      Yeah, I was wondering about that too. IE9's various beta and RC updates went on Windows Update, but the final release didn't, which I wasn't expecting. Surely you would at least want to update people away from the pre-release versions, rather than leave them on "unfinished" software?

  2. two00lbwaster

    Downloaded it three times here

    Laptop, main PC and the work PC. I need to build an IE8 VM now though; to go with my IE 6 and 7 VMs.

    FF 4 will get 10 downloads from me (work PC, main PC, Laptopx2 (Windows and Ubuntu), Netbookx2 (Windows and Ubuntu), Windows VM, Ubuntu VMx2, work Mac Mini).

    Guess FF4 wins this round again.

    1. Tigra 07
      IT Angle

      RE: two00lbwaster

      What possible purpose could you need 9 computers for?

      That's a lot of updating.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Save yourself the effort...

      http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=21eabb90-958f-4b64-b5f1-73d0a413c8ef&displaylang=en

    3. Fuh Quit
      Thumb Up

      Mee three too

      Laptop, desktop, Win2k8 server.

      The same ones will get Fx4 plus the Ubuntu server, the XP desktop, the Win2k3 server and the MacBook.

      And I haven't even turned on the two netbooks yet!!

      I assume this is called "willy waving"? If MS is doing it, why can't we? ;-)

    4. Ammaross Danan
      Coat

      Updates

      "Compared to Apple's Safari 4.0 for Windows released in June 2009, IE9's holding its own. Apple claimed, again without any external verification, that Safari 4.0 landed six million downloads on Windows in its first three days. Again, simple math would put IE9 ahead of Safari 4.0.

      IE9 is not as popular as Opera 11 and Firefox 3.0, however. Opera Software in December 2010 claimed 6.7 million downloads for its latest browser on the first day. Mozilla claimed eight million downloads in the first 24-hours following the Firefox 3.0 release in June 2008."

      Most organizations (those that would actually be aware of updates that are available outside of Microsoft Update) won't download IE9 until a full review process. Which is why they're likely still on IE6. Well, that and old software that requires IE6 to function properly. Firefox and Opera don't require vetting since they are not commonly used as plug-ins for software, nor are web GUIs designed to work with them (think Cisco web interface for their switches for one). This allows FF and Opera to be freely downloaded and ran from day 1 on home and work computers (where allowed).

      As for the Safari 4 browser, that's due to it being bundled with iTunes (QuickTime is in there too if you click on the usual button), like most toolbars are stuffed into the likes of a DiVX (Ask Toolbar?) or Acrobat Reader (Google Toolbar) install. It's also set in the Apple Updater as well.

      IE9 was likely NOT in Windows Update for the same reason IE8 and IE7 were not pushed out on day1. Likewise, Win7 SP1. They're giving system admins time to disable the update on their WSUS servers or at least vet the browser. MS caters to more than just home users you know.

  3. Jeff 11
    Paris Hilton

    Of course no one beats Flash...

    Because they release updates practically every two days. I wonder why? </sarcasm>

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Statistics

    86.2% of all statistics are made up on the spot.

    1. Allicorn

      Aye

      Forfty percent of people know that.

  5. roadhog

    statistics2

    93.2% of statistics are incorrect

    1. Bear Features

      meaning

      Crap news for Apple then :D

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    Flash

    I thought Superman was just as quick, if not actually faster...

  7. Jean-Luc
    Joke

    Flash

    """

    Adobe claims eight million downloads of the Flash Player on an "average" day. It's not clear who is downloading, why, or how many times.

    """

    Hah! One reason to put out a security sieve of a product. Forces the user to download updates so you can claim to be popular. Maybe that was M$'s cunning secret plan with IE all along.

    @Jeff11 - you were first.

  8. eugene
    Stop

    what platforms?

    Shouldn't this article also mention that IE9 only runs on Vista and Windows 7, whereas FF and Opera runs on XP and everything else?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Choice

      Microsoft CHOSE to make sure IE9 will only run on Win7 and Fister. Nobody forced them.

  9. Chris Clawson
    FAIL

    Blurry ClearType is blurry

    Warning: once installed, there is no option to uninstall. Be sure to make a system restore point before installing (tho' one should be created automatically.) As to why I removed IE 9: it forces ClearType on in IE and other programs like Windows Live Mail, and there is no way to turn it off. I can't read webpages when they're displayed as a blurry mess. Doesn't anyone at Microsoft understand the awful irony in the word "ClearType"?

  10. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Call me when it runs on Windows XP

    and then I'll download and install it

    1. NoOnions
      Flame

      @AC - Boo hoo...

      It doesn't run on my Windows 95 installs either (sheesh!)

  11. MarkOne
    FAIL

    Downloads != users (not in the case of IE9 anyway)

    I wonder how many people downloaded it because it's part of Windows and you pretty much HAVE to have IE on your system so you might as well have IE9 which is definitely an improvement over IE8.

    I downloaded it, but I won't be using it, Opera 11 rocks and beats all the other browsers hands down by a VERY long margin.

    1. Ragarath
      Thumb Down

      Why?

      Why do you have to have IE? You can buy IE unbundled copies of Windows you know.

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Down

    Excluding XP and Linux...

    ...the numbers for Firefox and Opera are?

    Comparing the numbers is meaningless otherwise.

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Go

    Pretty obvious...

    ...Opera, Firefox et al run on multiple platforms and are set to update (as a rule) automagically.

    IE9 is optional and only runs on Win7, so of course it will do less.

    I run Opera, FF, IE and Chrome...occasionally and i.e9 is a nice browser, yes that's right. Still like simple things in Opera like F12 (mainly to flip proxy on and off), but ie9, i'd say is better than FF3.x (haven't yet tried 4)

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Wrong!

      "Opera, Firefox et al run on multiple platforms and are set to update (as a rule) automagically."

      Neither Opera or Firefox do major version upgrades automatically. So you post makes you sound like an MS fanboi. All MS fanbois are exactly the same, they know nothing about the oppostion but claim to know everything.

  14. maajka

    Regarding flash

    Off course, since the thing breaks all the time. Then uninstall, download again, reinstall. Doesn't work again. Uninstall. Download older version....

    I got a new laptop a month ago and reinstalled flash at least 4 times already.

  15. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Strewth

    What, you mean the latest release from one of the world's biggest companies has beaten some viral pictures no one's heard of? That's amazing! Get off me internet.

  16. Dayjo
    IT Angle

    Not Fair Stats.

    How can they brag about the number of downloads they have if the previous versions of the browser were so awful that users would have downloaded anything just to get rid of the crap that was installed previously.

  17. captain veg Silver badge

    Article summary in last paragraph

    "Microsoft's browser, though, is doing poorly against Firefox and Opera."

    It was ever so.

    -A.

  18. Andy Livingstone

    Adobe downloads by the squillion.

    Sorry. That was my fault. Only trying to find the one that might be safe and secure for more than the one day.

  19. Anonymous Coward
    Paris Hilton

    What is the importance of have a browser to the companies that make them?

    Obviously they are free to down load so no revenue there. Whats the benefit to the companies making the browsers? Always wondered.

    Paris as she doesn't now.

  20. Richard Morris
    Alert

    A squillion downloads is all very good...............

    but how many camels humps will they fill?

  21. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Of course

    Of course they had high download numbers, the down-loaders kept getting the BSOD and would try, try and tray again.

This topic is closed for new posts.

Other stories you might like