Bangalore: Internet surfers using PCS and laptops are turning to Google’s chrome browser quickly, according to recent statistics by StatCounter and Net Market Share.

StatCounter, published data that put Chrome as the world’s third most used browser in December 2011, after a growth spurt of around 12 percent from the same time in 2010.

StatCounter ranked IE first, with 39 percent, and Firefox was the second most preferred browser, used by 25 percent of the people who came online. Safari and Opera followed at 6 and 2 percent respectively. Interestingly, all the browsers on the list except Chrome have seen a steady decline from December 2010. 

Although statistics from Net Market Share state vastly different figures, they point in the same direction for all browsers. IE ranks first with 52 percent in December 2011 down from 59 percent in February of the same year, Firefox ranks second with 22 percent after a slide from 23 percent, and Chrome is at 19 percent while it was at 11 percent in February.

In any case, Chrome still has to grow its user base if it is to topple IE as the most preferred browser. According to statistics from Net Market Share, IE 8 comes first as the most preferred version of browsers used (28 percent), followed by Firefox and IE 9 having the same size of market share(12 percent). Chrome 15 owns 9 percent of the market, while IE6 and Chrome 16 both occupy fourth place at 7 percent.