Microsoft claims success as IE9 reaches 3.6 per cent of Windows 7 PCs

The latest version of Internet Explorer 9 has been installed on 3.6 per cent of machines running Windows 7, trumping IE8's figures a month after it was launched, according to the latest figures from Microsoft.

IE9 was released from beta earlier this month, and was given a pretty good reception by users.

"Just over two weeks ago we released IE9 and in that short time it has been great to see the positive reaction around the globe," said Ryan Gavin, senior director for Internet Explorer business and marketing.

"It's also been humbling to see customer enthusiasm for IE9. What really matters, however, is the web experiences themselves."

Gavin suggested that IE9 will continue to win support because of its advanced features, which bring a level of usability that other developers ignore.

"Our decision with IE9 was not to build to the lowest common denominator. That pattern has arguably been the norm for browser vendors, including IE, for years," he said.

"The result has been a lot of browser 'feature' innovation, while the web that we all use has remained largely a flat experience compared to that of the native apps on your PC or phone. With IE9 we made the decision to help unlock the best web experience possible."

According to the latest figures from Net Applications, IE9's share on Windows 7 stood at 3.6 per cent at the end of March, roughly five times higher than IE8 enjoyed one month after it was launched.

IE9 also beats the newly launched Firefox 4, which has just 2.8 per cent of Windows 7 users, and was released only eight days later.

Microsoft dominates the NetApplications rankings with IE8, which has around 50 per cent of browser users running Windows 7. Firefox 3.6 is in second place with around 20 per cent.

However, the numbers still fall below those for IE6, which Microsoft is trying to lure people away from. IE6 has seen its share fall by 0.43 per cent, but still has around 12 per cent of the installed user base.