Less than five years after its first release in September 2008, Google Chrome has established itself as the no. 1 web browser in the world.According to web tracking firm StatCounter, Chrome's global market share in June 2013 was 43 percent, up from just 33 percent a year ago. At 25 percent market share, Internet Explorer remains the second most popular browser in the world. Microsoft's browser retains a particularly strong position in North America, where it is almost head to head with Chrome. Despite its allegedly inferior performance, many workers in the U.S. are still obliged to use Internet Explorer at work, but tend to switch to the competition in private life. This theory is supported by StatCounter's data, which shows that Microsoft's usage share dips on weekends while other browsers, particularly Apple's Safari, spike upwards on Saturdays and Sundays.