As noted last week, Google's Chrome browser usage has risen to 16.2 percent according to the latest stats for desktop and laptop computers released by Net Applications. If this growth continues, it could see the browser break the 20 percent mark as early as the New Year and with that drop Firefox to the third place for the first time ever.
Safari was the only other browser to see growth in the last month, sitting in fourth place at 5.02 percent. Microsoft's Internet Explorer continued its expected decline, now at 54.39 percent.
Speaking at the company's Zeitgeist conference last month, chief executive Larry Page said the browser now has over 160 million users worldwide, a staggering number considering the browser is only in its third year of existence. In the last 12 months, Chrome has risen from 8.24 percent to its current 16.2 percent position.
Google also opened its first UK store this past weekend. The so-called Chrome Zone is located within the Currys and PC World superstore in Tottenham Court Road, London, offering visitors a chance to see and try out the new Samsung Chromebook - the first laptop to be sold running Google's Chrome OS.
In somewhat related news, Google announced on Friday that it plans to build a new datacenter in Dublin, Ireland. Google believes Ireland's cooler climate provides the ideal geographical location for its new 11-acre datacenter, creating 230 jobs. The new center will help with demand for cloud data storage, power searches, Gmail and Google Maps.