The overall worldwide breakdown of web browsers according to percentage of users. This data was for the year 2009. Internet Explorer is the most preferred browser with 66.6 percent, followed by Mozilla FireFox with 23.3 percent, Apple Safari with 4.1 percent, Google Chrome with 2.9 percent, and Opera with 2.1 percent.

With Google’s entry into the browser market in September 2008, the browser wars not only became more intense, it also saw a worthy addition in the battleground.

Google Chrome’s initial claim to fame was the speed with which it loaded Web pages, reliability and several unique features like detachable tabs and its Omnibox. Mozilla, at least, has taken note of these innovations and has incorporated it in its latest Firefox version.

Experts and industry watchers, however, agree that it is premature to judge the Chrome browser just yet. Google has made it clear that it is not out to compete with Firefox, Opera and Internet Explorer. Instead, it is creating a new platform for new applications that are currently poorly or not supported by current browser technologies. In time, Chrome would become the platform for traditionally offline programs like word processors and spreadsheets. In short, Chrome would be everybody’s online desktop, with applications that runs at par or better than its offline counterparts.

Firefox, on the other hand, has enjoyed a loyal following over the years. Firefox’s strong suit has always been its customizability and a powerful array of add-ons, and it continues to capitalize on that advantage with the soon-to-be released Firefox 3.1.

This early, developers at Mozilla have announced that the TraceMonkey platform will be beating Chrome’s reputed speed, along with other features that would match Chrome’s innovations.

One thing though that Firefox still has is its higher crash potential, and security issues.

Security issues are what has been plaguing the Internet Explorer since news broke out years ago that IE has some serious security flaws. With IE8 currently in its second beta, with the full version set to be released by the end of the year, IE aims to be the most reliable and safest browser available.

IE has enjoyed the biggest pie of the browser market for years, precisely because Microsoft bundled it on every PC. This makes IE a very attractive platform for outside developers.

IE8 also boasts of a no-record browsing, and has since added some of the innovations we’ve seen in Firefox and Chrome: an Omnibox-like address bar, and add-ons.IE, however, have been found to be slower than both Firefox and Chrome, and it tends to use a lot of memory. Crash potential is higher too.

All versions of IE, Firefox and Chrome are in test stages. Until the full releases are out, it might be a tad too early to judge which of the three would come out best. For now, however, each has its own strengths and weaknesses. In the final analysis, it is the individual browsers benefit from having more browsers to choose from and have a browser that would fit their needs.