Microsoft aims to re-gain market with latest Internet Explorer

In an effort to re-gain its once dominant grip on the web-browser market, Microsoft recently unveiled the ninth version of Internet Explorer.

Microsoft has seen its hold on the market dip recently, with the emergence of Mozilla's Firefox, Google's Chrome and Apple's Safari. According to Net Applications, Internet Explorer's share of the market has fallen to 60 percent from 74 percent just two years ago.

Some of the new features include faster page loading and better video playback as IE 9 takes advantage of Windows Vista and Windows 7's graphics processors.

IE 9 is obviously Microsoft's effort to keep users' attention on the Windows operating system, an expert said.

"Based on developer buzz, it seems tech enthusiasts are more excited about IE 9 than any version of IE in recent times," Matt Rosoff, an analyst at Directions on Microsoft, said.

Last month, according to Net Applications, Firefox's market share rose 23 percent up from 19 percent two years ago, Chrome rose 7.5 percent up from 1.1 percent and Safari went up 5.2 percent from 2.8 percent. Microsoft commanded as much as 97 percent of the market as recently as 2003.