While we all could have inferred this logic ourselves, we're getting some actual stats out of WebSideStory now detailing how Internet Explorer 7 is gaining ground at the cost of Internet Explorer 6. With Firefox staying strong and growing to an average usage of 14% in the U.S. (though it varies greatly from country to country), IE6 has dipped to just above 60%, the lowest it has been in many years.

Obviously, much of this comes from IE6 to IE7 upgrades, meaning that many people are choosing to stick with alternative browsers rather than upgrade. Geoff Johnston, an analyst with WebSiteStory, believes that this is going to be a continuing trend, with people not willing to switch back to IE7. For better or for worse, perhaps this will convince Microsoft to pay more attention to their existing userbase, rather than the “hands-off” approach they had with IE6 for so many years.