Browser usage - Chrome and IE

It is nearly 3 years since Chrome the web browser from Google was launched and my experience with it has always been excellent. Though IE has been predominantly used at office for intranet sites, I mainly use Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome for browsing the net. I especially use Firefox if I need to download anything!

I have the habit of checking the "Audience" of my sites - the country from which majority of people are browsing my articles and what OS & browsers they use. Till recently it was IE that was the leader. Around 60% of the viewers of my site used to use IE, a little around 20% used to use Firefox and the rest other browsers. Today I was pleasantly surprised when I realized that the majority of my site users are using Chrome. For a minute I couldn't believe it. The reason being that just a few weeks back it was IE which was the dominant browser and from nowhere has Chrome taken up a major chunk of IE users.

Check the below data from Google stats available for my blog.

Pageviews by Browsers

Chrome 585 (32%) Internet Explorer 546 (30%) Firefox 512 (28%) Safari 88 (4%) Opera 46 (2%) chromeframe 7 (<1%) Jakarta Commons-HttpClient 6 (<1%) Mobile Safari 5 (<1%) Java 4 (<1%) Version 3 (<1%)

I guess Google's advertisement for Chrome has really helped in increasing the market share. Here is the advertisement for Chrome which is aired in India.

Though Chrome and Firefox are closely competing with IE, Microsoft Windows operating systems are still ruling the world!!

Pageviews by Operating Systems

Windows 1,595 (89%) Macintosh 80 (4%) Linux 45 (2%) Other Unix 34 (1%) Android 7 (<1%) iPad 4 (<1%) iPhone 4 (<1%) Nokia 3 (<1%) SAMSUNG 3 (<1%) iPod 2 (<1%)

So I opine that in coming months Chrome shall surely overtake all the other browsers by a major percentage of users going for it. But IE or no IE, Microsoft Windows surely rules the OS world -as of now!!!

Update: Here is an article published at ZDNet - "Chrome takes bite out of IE's share" and "Chrome rises at IE's expense; iPad makes a showing".

Visa Card Advertisement - Bad example to promote the product

I am a strong believer in the power of advertisements... It is, according to me, the second best thing that helps in increasing the sales... the first best one being the exchange of words through mouth...

But at times the advertisements are totally illogical like the one on Visa Debit card.

The Ad concept: A person goes to an auto-rickshaw and asks the driver to take him to the nearest ATM (Cash point). But the driver says he doesn't take anybody to the ATM. So also all the drivers waiting for the customers in the auto-stand. The first auto driver (Vinay Patak) says that it is a waste of time to go to an ATM, instead one can go directly to shops, movies, malls and use the Visa debit card directly.

See this video.. and then read my comments below it.

Though the basic idea about the product (Visa debit card) is good, the usage of auto-rickshaw to denote the same was a bad idea. Why?

The reason is pretty simple... In India many a shop vendors still don't accept debit/credit cards and not even food coupons (like Sudexo, Ticket Restaurant, etc.). In fact even the city buses, auto-rickshaw drivers and many a taxi drivers don't accept cards for payment. The hard cash is the preferred means of payment. In this Ad, usage of auto-rickshaw was a bad idea since the customer wouldn't be possible to pay the driver through his visa card, though he could use the same to buy stuffs from bigger shops, malls, theatres, etc.

In short, according to me, the total impact of the advertisement on the prospective customers is infinitesimal. The Ad-makers should get creative enough and think of a better way to explain why one should go for plastic money.