Stats for MakeYouGoHmm indicate that IE still maintains 56% of the browser market, but browser share in Firefox favor appears to have slowed in momentum since the last time this was reviewed. I don’t think this is because of anything Firefox has done or hasn’t done, but because Microsoft has woken up and has been putting more focus on IE actually having a future, plus the fact that there is a large core group who will not switch browsers, perhaps because of laziness, stubbornness, inexperience, or simply becaue they like IE better. Microsoft as the default position remains in the pole position, but in their annual form 10k, they are wide awake and aware of Firefox’s existence and finally acknowledging that they need to get back to work — and are — on Internet Explorer.

Microsoft’s annual Form 10K, filed late last week with the Securities and Exchange Commisson, included this new addition in a passage on the competition faced by the company’s PC Windows division: “Competitors such as Mozilla offer software that competes with the Internet Explorer Web browsing capabilities of our Windows operating system products.”

The year plus time between now and Vista when the real Internet Explorer successor comes along might be just enough time for Firefox to tip the scales, but they have to try and avoid critical bugs like earlier this year. If I had to lay money on which browser will control over 50% of the market by this time next year, I’d chicken out and call it a tie or if pressed, give the nod to Microsoft.

I think the first 10% was the hard part for Firefox, and then the next 25% was considerably easier, but the final 30-40%, of which Microsoft once used to enjoy in their 80% dominance will be extremely difficult to pull off. Firefox is going to need more than extensions, ads in newspapers and a slick marketing campaign. They are going to need to have all the cool software and functionality that webmasters build websites for and that is where Microsoft has a hole card.

The battle for browser supremecy is on!

• Firefox 29% vs. Internet Explorer 62% [site news]
• Microsoft patches Internet Explorer
• Patent ruling against Microsoft Internet Explorer
• Warning: two critical Firefox bugs
• Firefox 2.x easter egg jabs competition
• 4 ways Internet Explorer could improve and steal the Firefox thunder