IE9 beta surpasses 20 million downloads
updated 07:40 pm EST, Mon January 3, 2011
Final version rumored to be set for Jan. 28 launch
Microsoft's Internet Explorer 9 browser has reportedly surpassed 20 million downloads while still in beta development, according to numbers published by Net Applications. IE product marketing director Roger Capriotti also suggests IE8 jumped from 24 percent market share in 2009 to 33 percent in 2010, though the surge in popularity was mostly explained by users updating from IE6 and 7.
Taken together, all versions of Internet Explorer have reportedly reached a total market share over 34 percent. Firefox 3.6 holds the second position with 18.5 percent, while Chrome 8 represents 7.3 percent of the market and Safari numbers fall to 3.2 percent.
Separate rumors, posted on LiveSide, suggest Microsoft may be ready to launch the final version of IE9 by January 28, however the company has yet to confirm a launch date.
