Hacker News Reader

Comment by imranhou | Hacker News Reader

I would like to provide two quick examples.

Google Chrome is not the default browser on windows, isn’t even installed yet commands > 60% market share worldwide across all platforms, likely higher on windows.

Google Maps on iPhone has reportedly 70% market share, doesn’t come even installed.

This is not to say buying defaults is a good thing, but the premise that being default automatically commands usage and people don’t switch from default would be incorrect in these glaring examples.

View on HN

Chrome because every time you visit google.com in a non-Chrome browser, it'll blast you with an ad to download Chrome.

Maps because by the time Chrome has pressured you into logging into your Google Account(TM), you've already drank the Kool-Aid (and/or they're pushing it via Google search rich results).

Fair points, I don't really have any data to counter that, but doubt you do either. At the end it can all be shown to be interconnected, whether good products are driving more adoption or just being default is ensuring the cycle continues, I'm not sure google understands it or is too scared to find out and so pays out.

One other thing I'll add is that Chrome doesn't advertise itself on safari (when browsing google.com) on an IOS device, at least all my current attempts to have it do that have failed.

That's because it's the default on Android, an operating system famously purchased and stewarded by Google that makes up globally the broad share of mobile. Please show me the breakdown on Windows, I bet the default is edge and bing and unless you're moderately tech savvy don't bother to change it. If you prove me wrong there I'll take your point, otherwise your point is disingenuous.

https://gs.statcounter.com/browser-market-share/desktop/worl... Here are stats for Desktops, this should exclude Android, and Chrome is 64% share, safari 12.49% share (which is Apple devices exclusive) and Edge 10.6%. If you do some deduction and eliminate Apple here, then it would increase chrome's share to 73% and Edge share to 12.5%,

On mobile edge doesn't show up in top 5, and is .6% on tablets.

Thank you! Okay so yeah looks like people still do choose Chrome independent of the default that is shipped. That would indicate people are making the switch because they like it, fair enough!

Reply on news.ycombinator.com