Samsung beats Apple in 'Internet War'

Samsung has overtaken Apple to claim number one spot globally for first time in terms of internet usage.

In a week where beating its rival has become common, Samsung's smartphone users surf the web more often than Apple's, according to a study from StatCounter.

The report finds that while 12 months ago, Nokia led globally in terms of internet usage, Samsung (25.47%) has leapfrogged both Apple (25.09%) and Nokia (21.96%) to take the lead in June 2013.

"It has been a fascinating 12 months in terms of internet usage and the battle to dominate the mobile landscape," wrote Aodhan Cullen, CEO, StatCounter.

"Amongst the highlights has been the rise of Samsung to overtake Apple globally for the first time in June 2013, albeit by a very small margin.

"Casualties along the way have included Nokia which dropped from number one to third position plus BlackBerry, which declined despite efforts to reinvent itself."

The report also claims that while in May 2012 Chrome became the browser leader in term of internet usage worldwide, it has now overtaken Internet Explorer for the first time in the US.

"There is a battle royal under way between the providers of browsers, mobile devices, search engines and social media," Cullen wrote.

"What makes the battle fascinating is that many of the big beasts of today's technology age, including Google, Microsoft and Apple are going head to head. Why is this important?

"The stakes are high as the reward for winning any of the digital wars is not only enormous wealth, but also the chance to control another part of the digital landscape, displace an existing rival, and determine the shape of things to come.

Other highlights include:

• Operating Systems: Windows 7 increases internet usage share despite launch of Windows 8 - XP refuses to lie down.

• Social Media: Reports of Facebook decline appear exaggerated.

• Search Engines: Google still dominates worldwide but more competitive in US where Bing makes some headway.

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