1) The document provides platform support recommendations for browsers, operating systems, and devices based on their market share and adoption trends. 2) It recommends full support for Firefox 36-37, Chrome 41, IE11, Safari 8, and dropping support for older versions. 3) For operating systems, it recommends full support for Windows 7, Mac OS 10.10, and partial support for iOS and Android based devices.

1. 1
MCD Partners
Platform Support
Recommendations
2015 First Quarter

2. 2
Quarterly, MCD Partners tracks the use of
stable releases of browsers, operating
systems, and devices for the general U.S.
population, identifying the current share of
the user base and potential velocity for
large-scale adoption of new and
obsolesce of old platforms.
Overview

3. 3
The following table is our recommended
platform support policy. Both velocity and
lifecycle are factored. Platforms that fit
into these categories change regularly,
some faster than others.
Full and partial support types are defined
after the table.
Overview

4. 4
Upcoming
<=2%
Experimental
<=1%
Antiquated
<=1%
Aging
<=2%
Might not
function or
display
properly; no
longer
supported
Full core
functionality
with some
display errors
acceptable.
Full functionality and error-free display. Full core
functionality
with minor
display &
formatting
errors
acceptable.
Might not
function or
display
properly;
future
support may
be needed.
None Partial Full Partial None
Support Policy

5. 5
Full Functionality
All features and functions display and
operates as designed and specified.
Support Type Definitions

6. 6
Partial Functionality
Core functionality works correctly but may
have some display errors.
Functional errors may occur but will not
impinge on core functionality. Special
features, overlays or advanced animation,
may not function properly or at all.
Support Type Definitions

7. 7
As a new stable release of a browser, device, or
operating system moves into the Upcoming
category, it does not necessarily displace any other
supported platform. Conversely, a platform in the
Experimental category may never move into the
mainstream environment. We also monitor certain
platforms that have been “stuck” in the
Experimental group for some time but have a high
potential to suddenly break out and become an
Upcoming or even Modern platform.
A Note on Support Type Definitions

8. 8
The recommendations outlined in this
report are based on the general U.S.
consumer market; with a couple of noted
exceptions. An individual website’s
platform support should be identified
based on its measurement analytics and
inform the design and development
specifications throughout the project.
Recommendations Summary

9. 9
The following table summarizes the browser
by operating system support
recommendations as of March 2015.
Supporting documentation is provided
later.
Browser Support Recommendations

10. 10
Browser Support Recommendations
Win XP Win 7 Win 8 Mac 10.9 Mac 10.10 iOS Android
IE 8.x Partial Partial
IE 9.x Partial
IE 11.x Full Full
Firefox 36.x Full Full Full Full
Firefox 37.x Full Full Full Full
Chrome 41 Full Full Full Full
Safari 7 Partial
Safari 8 Full
Mobile Safari Full
Android Browser Full
Mobile Chrome Partial Full

11. 11
• Add full support of Firefox 36 and 37 on Win 7, Win 8, and Mac 10.9
• Drops support for version of Firefox prior to version 36.
• Drop support for versions of Firefox prior to version 30
• Add full support of Chrome 41 to Win XP, Win 7, and Mac 10.9
• Drop support for versions of Chrome prior to version 41
• Chrome 42 is not added to the list since the stable version was just
recently released. As of this report, support isn’t warranted but we
expect full support by the end of the 2nd quarter 2015 due to automatic
upgrades.
As of this report, the Chrome for Mobile Browsers has slowly gained share on mobile
devices. However, this share is almost completely on Android. For Android devices, its
share is 23.41% and for iOS devices its share is 3% according to Chitika.com.
Therefore, we are recommending partial support of Chrome for Mobile on iOS
devices.
Recommendation Changes for This Report

12. 12
Device Support Recommendations

13. 13
• Add full support of Galaxy S5 on Android 4.4
• Add Partial Support of Galaxy S5 on Android 5.0
As of this report, Kindle Fire Phone market penetration is not available; as a result, we will
continue to monitor this device for possible inclusion later this year.
As of writing this report, the market penetration for Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD is not
available. Chikita stated that kindle Fire grabs 8% market share in North America. At
this point, we recommend including both Kindle Fire and Kindle Hire HD since usage of
Amazon Kindle Fire family has 8% and falls within our support policy.
Recommendation Changes for This Report

14. 14
This section details the operating system (OS) versions
that garner 1% or more of total sessions.
Operating System Version Analysis

15. 15
Desktop (Windows and Macintosh)
Total
Win and Mac Mac
April 89.90% 8.00% 55.40% 15.80% 10.30%
May 89.70% 7.30% 55.20% 16.60% 10.00%
June 89.40% 7.10% 55.30% 17.00% 9.60%
July 89.70% 7.00% 54.80% 17.30% 9.50%
August 89.40% 6.50% 54.20% 18.10% 9.70%
September 89.80% 5.90% 55.60% 18.10% 9.60%
October 89.20% 5.10% 54.60% 19.20% 10.30%
November 88.80% 4.90% 54.60% 19.70% 9.60%
December 88.70% 4.90% 53.80% 20.50% 9.50%
January 89.60% 4.70% 52.80% 21.00% 9.80%
February 89.30% 4.50% 52.50% 21.30% 10.10%
March 89.10% 4.10% 52.30% 22.20% 10.10%

16. 16
Windows 7 is the top operating system in use with over 52.30% market
share. Also note the remaining percentage includes operating
systems such as Linux and Windows NT.

17. 17
Desktop (Macintosh Only)
Mac 10.6 Mac 10.8 Mac 10.9 Mac 10.10
April 1.23% 1.06% 4.07%
May 1.11% 0.97% 4.15%
June 0.94% 0.80% 3.95%
July 0.84% 0.70% 4.12%
August 0.78% 0.65% 4.29%
September 0.74% 0.60% 4.05%
October 0.72% 0.57% 3.66% 1.18%
November 0.69% 0.50% 2.79% 2.66%
December 0.68% 0.53% 2.05% 3.21%
January 0.65% 0.48% 1.82% 3.45%
February 0.61% 0.46% 1.65% 3.55%
March 0.61% 0.47% 1.61% 3.96%

18. 18
Although Mac 10.10 has just crossed 3% we still expect it to quickly reach larger market
penetration this quarter. We recommend adding full support to the Mac 10.10 operating
system. Mac 10.7 and 10.8 are significantly dropping against Mac 10.10; as a result, we
recommend dropping support of 10.7 and 10.8 for this current quarter.
0.0%
0.5%
1.0%
1.5%
2.0%
2.5%
3.0%
3.5%
4.0%
4.5%
5.0%
Mac 10.6
Mac 10.8
Mac 10.9
Mac 10.10

19. 19
Mobile and Tablet

20. 20
Android and iOS are both enjoying growth in current quarter. However, we’re
beginning to see hints Android-based systems (mostly Samsung mobile devices
and tablets) are creeping into new territory as they pass 3% market share.

21. 21
The following tables and charts highlight
desktop browser types and versions with
1% or more of total sessions.
Browser Type Analysis

22. 22
Browser Type Analysis
Internet
Explorer Firefox Safari Chrome
April 9.40% 25.00% 4.00% 58.40%
May 8.90% 24.10% 3.80% 59.20%
June 8.80% 25.10% 3.70% 59.30%
July 8.50% 24.90% 3.50% 59.80%
August 8.30% 24.70% 3.70% 60.10%
September 9.90% 24.00% 3.60% 59.60%
October 9.50% 23.40% 3.70% 60.40%
November 9.80% 23.40% 3.70% 60.10%
December 8.00% 23.60% 3.90% 61.60%
January 7.80% 23.40% 3.80% 61.90%
February 8.00% 22.90% 3.90% 62.50%
March 7.70% 22.10% 3.90% 63.70%

23. 23
We compared browser use for April 2014 to March 2015 by general market browser share, as
reported by w3schools, and noted some interesting differences in browser use. Chrome use is
significantly higher among the browsers in the general market as it outpaces Firefox and
Safari. Also note the very large difference in Safari – a browser primarily used in iOS devices.
http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_stats.asp

24. 24
Internet Explorer
IE 8 IE 9 IE 10 IE 11
April 2.40% 2.00% 1.60% 2.70%
May 2.10% 1.90% 1.40% 2.70%
June 2.10% 1.20% 1.40% 3.00%
July 1.80% 1.80% 1.50% 3.00%
August 1.80% 1.60% 1.40% 3.20%
September 2.00% 1.50% 1.30% 3.80%
October 1.60% 1.80% 1.50% 4.30%
November 1.60% 1.80% 1.40% 4.70%
December 1.30% 1.60% 1.10% 3.60%
January 1.20% 1.40% 1.10% 3.70%
February 1.20% 1.50% 1.10% 4.10%
March 1.10% 1.40% 1.00% 4.10%

25. 25

26. 26
We’re seeing the slow deflation of the IE10 and 9 browsers largely due
to Microsoft auto updates. At 1.40%, we recommend partial support of
IE 9 in the current quarter. However, IE 10 at 1%, we recommend no
support of this browser in the current quarter as it usages are going to
fall under 1% by the end of current quarter. There is a possibility 2015 will
continue to see large corporate users upgrading directly to IE 11, Firefox,
or Chrome.
IE11 has been intensely watched due to the connection between the
latest browser version auto updates on Windows 8 and 7. Until recently,
IE11 was only available on Windows 8 machines and Windows RT
devices, such as the Surface. However, Microsoft pushed IE11 auto
updates to Windows 7 machines as well. As a result we can reliably say
that IE11 will take a large percentage of market share in the coming
quarter against all IE browsers. At 4.10%, we recommend full support of
this browser version.
Internet Explorer

27. 27
Firefox
Firefox 35 Firefox 36 Firefox 37
April
May
June
July
August
September
October 0.30%
November 1.10% 0.25%
December 3.50% 0.40% 0.10%
January 8.50% 0.70% 0.50%
February 14.90% 2.00% 1.10%
March 2.80% 13.20% 12.10%

28. 28

29. 29
Firefox
Firefox has considerable competition from Safari and
Chrome. We see Firefox version 35 dropping sharply
from its release date to now. Since the browser
continues to drop, we can reliably project it will fall
below 1% by the end of the 2nd quarter of 2015.
Little more than a month after the release of Firefox 37,
Mozilla released Firefox 38 beta on April 17th, 2015.
Firefox 38 market penetration is less than 1%; therefore,
we will monitor Firefox 38 in the coming quarters for
possible inclusion.

30. 30
Safari
Safari 5 Safari 6 Safari 7 Safari 8
April 2.25% 1.80% 2.80%
May 2.10% 1.70% 3.00%
June 1.95% 1.60% 2.80%
July 1.75% 1.50% 2.70%
August 1.68% 1.30% 2.90%
September 1.55% 1.40% 2.60%
October 1.32% 1.18% 2.95% 0.80%
November 1.24% 0.97% 2.75% 2.14%
December 0.93% 0.90% 2.65% 2.21%
January 0.30% 0.85% 2.30% 3.23%
February 0.20% 0.55% 2.50% 3.47%
March 0.20% 0.30% 2.40% 3.85%

31. 31

32. 32
Safari
We’re watching a gradual decline in Safari 5 on the
desktop. But at 0.20% and gradually moving down,
therefore, we recommend not supporting Safari 5 in
current quarter. However, Safari 6 usage significantly
drops in the past quarter and at 0.30% and gradually
moving down, we recommend not supporting Safari 6
in current quarter.
Safari 7 usages significantly dropping against the Safari
8 browser, at 2.40%, we recommend partial supporting
Safari 7 in the current quarter. Since Safari 8 market
penetration gradually increasing, we recommend full
support of Safari 8 in current quarter.

33. 33
Chrome

34. 34

35. 35
We’re seeing a substantial deflation of Chrome 39 gradually
moving down, we recommend partial or no support for these
browsers.
Google released Chrome 42 version on April 6th, 2015. Chrome
42 market penetrations is less than 1%, therefore, we will
monitor Chrome 42 in the coming quarters for possible
inclusion.
Chrome

36. 36
http://gs.statcounter.com/#desktop+mobile-browser-US-monthly-201304-201403
Mobile and Tablet Browsers
Android Mobile Safari Mobile Chrome
April 18.56% 57.86% 15.92%
May 17.56% 56.82% 17.95%
June 16.56% 56.46% 19.54%
July 15.03% 56.95% 20.62%
August 14.05% 57.17% 21.84%
September 12.63% 58.73% 22.44%
October 12.54% 59.10% 23.86%
November 11.56% 55.56% 26.56%
December 11.30% 53.85% 27.31%
January 10.88% 55.10% 25.15%
February 10.71% 55.28% 28.45%
March 9.96% 55.06% 29.88%

37. 37
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Android
Mobile Safari
Mobile Chrome

38. 38
We are watching considerable difference between the
Mobile Safari and Android browser usage on mobile phones
and tablets. Also note that the usage of the Mobile Chrome
browser is significantly increasing. At 29.88 % and gradually
moving up, we recommend full support of this browser in
current quarter. However, it is worth monitoring in 2015, as
there is a possibility by the end of second quarter numbers of
people may opt for the Nexus devices, LG G3, HTC and
Galaxy S6, along with existing Android devices, which will
impact the market share.
Mobile and Tablet Browsers

39. 39
http://gs.statcounter.com/#desktop+mobile+tablet-comparison-US-monthly-201404-201406
Desktop and Tablet/Mobile Analysis

40. 40

41. 41
The desktop versus mobile and tablet difference is
considerable. Note that touch device usage is
considerably lower than might be expected given the
hype of touch devices in the general market. Even
though mobile and tablet use is small – it is worth
monitoring in 2015, as there is a possibility by the end of
the year to see an overwhelming majority of people
opting to use touch devices instead of desktop. The last
quarter already shows this growth beginning to happen.
Desktop and Tablet/Mobile Analysis

42. 42
By the end of the 1st quarter of 2015, 52.06% percent of U.S.
mobile and tablet owners had a device that runs iOS.
.
http://gs.statcounter.com/#mobile_browser-US-quarterly-201302-201401-bar
Tablet/Mobile Operating System Overview
iOS Android Others
Q2 2014 51.66% 42.36% 5.54%
Q3 2014 52.13% 42.84% 5.03%
Q4 2014 52.08% 44.62% 3.30%
Q1 2015 52.06% 44.87% 3.07%

43. 43

44. 44
In the U.S. iOS continues to dominate
market share of mobile and tablet
operating systems.
Tablet/Mobile Operating System Analysis

45. 45
http://netmarketshare.com/operating-system-market-share.aspx?qprid=10&qpcustomd=1
Android Analysis
Android 2.3 Android 4.1 Android 4.2 Android 4.3 Android 4.4 Android 5.0
April 3.89% 11.19% 7.13% 5.70% 3.92%
May 3.88% 10.61% 7.49% 4.98% 5.54%
June 3.83% 10.33% 8.53% 5.58% 7.25%
July 3.29% 10.03% 8.77% 4.02% 9.28%
August 3.07% 9.56% 8.74% 3.78% 11.10%
September 3.02% 9.45% 9.13% 3.58% 12.76%
October 2.59% 8.45% 8.65% 3.33% 14.42% 0.01%
November 2.44% 7.99% 8.24% 3.12% 15.40% 0.05%
December 2.03% 7.01% 7.94% 2.88% 16.90% 0.68%
January 2.10% 6.64% 7.97% 2.78% 19.78% 0.82%
February 1.53% 5.96% 7.53% 2.67% 19.73% 1.71%
March 1.43% 5.54% 7.53% 2.62% 20.39% 2.64%

46. 46
As of writing this this report, Android 3.1and 3.2 are less than 1% market
penetration and falls below our recommended support policy.

47. 47
Above are the top Android devices by market share as of June 2014. The Samsung
http://www.appbrain.com/stats/top-android-phones
Android Device Analysis

48. 48
The Samsung Galaxy S3 and S4 are now listed in the top Android phone
list. At 4.6% and 3.90%, we recommend continue to full support of
Samsung Galaxy S3 and S4 in current quarter. According to
appbrain.com10, Galaxy S5 has market share of 11.9%. As a result, we
recommend full support of this device in current quarter. It is worth
monitoring in 2015, as there is a possibility by the end of the 2nd quarter
to see an overwhelming majority of people opting to use Samsung
Galaxy S5.
As of this report, Galaxy S6 market penetration is not available; as a
result, we will continue to monitor this device for possible inclusion in
upcoming quarter.
Android Device Analysis

49. 49
Android Tablet Breakdown
Amazon Kindle Fire Samsung Galaxy Google Nexus
2Q 2014 6.10% 8.30% 2.20%
3Q 2014 7.30% 6.30% 2.10%
4Q 2014 6.70% 6.00% 1.80%
1Q 2015 8.0% 11.50% 1.30%

50. 50

51. 51
Over the past year, the tablet market has seen major
changes. Chitika completed a study to determine which
tablet devices are seeing the most success in the terms of
usage. This chart shows the Samsung take top Android
tablet market share while Amazon tablets are second with
Google Nexus Tablets coming in third. At this point, we
recommend full support of Kindle Fire and the Samsung
Galaxy tablet and partial support for Google Nexus 7
tablet.
https://chitika.com/insights/2015/q1-tablet-update
Android Tablet Analysis

52. 52
https://mixpanel.com/trends/#report/ios_frag/from_date:-122,to_date:-32
iOS Breakdown
iOS 5.x iOS 6.x iOS 7.x iOS 8.x
April 1.51% 8.36% 89.95%
May 1.37% 7.29% 91.14%
June 1.29% 6.96% 91.49%
July 1.14% 5.66% 92.76%
August 0.98% 5.07% 93.30%
September 0.73% 3.94% 73.60% 21.45%
October 0.70% 3.44% 43.42% 52.13%
November 0.65% 2.93% 35.38% 60.75%
December 0.59% 2.44% 28.90% 67.74%
January 0.55% 1.99% 26.01% 71.01%
February 0.51% 1.75% 22.15% 75.11%
March 0.44% 1.22% 17.57% 80.34%

53. 53

54. 54
In the U.S. iOS 7 continues to dominate market share of
mobile and tablet operating systems until iOS 8.x
released over iOS 6 and 5. Note that iOS 8.x adoption
rate significantly high as it hit over 80% in little over 6
months. At this point, we recommend full support for this
operating system. However, also note that iOS 5.x
market share falls below 1% and gradually moving
down. At 0.44% we do recommend no support for this
operating system at this time.
As of this report, iOS4 is less than 1% market penetration
and falls below our recommended support policy.
iOS Analysis

55. 55
http://marketshare.hitslink.com/operating-system-market-share.aspx?qprid=10&qpcustomd=1
iPhone versus iPad Breakdown
iPhone iPad
April 22.31% 28.80%
May 21.75% 26.10%
June 21.03% 24.14%
July 21.18% 22.61%
August 21.49% 22.45%
September 20.74% 22.76%
October 21.23% 22.67%
November 21.99% 22.41%
December 21.88% 20.99%
January 21.61% 20.68%
February 22.39% 19.93%
March 22.48% 19.23%

56. 56

57. 57
http://david-smith.org/iosversionstats/
iPad Breakdown
iPad 2G iPad 3G iPad 4G iPad Mini iPad Air
iOS 5.x 0.40% 0.10%
iOS 6.x 3.10% 1.10% 2.10% 0.80%
iOS 7.x 20.80% 23.90% 27.40% 20.60% 14.50%
iOS 8.x 73.10% 74.90% 70.50% 78.60% 85.50%

58. 58

59. 59
http://david-smith.org/iosversionstats/
iPad Analysis
The adoption rate of iOS 8.x is significantly higher than iOS
6.x and iOS 7.x among iPad users. At this time, we
recommend full support of iOS 8.x in current quarter. It is
worth monitoring in 2015, as there is a possibility by the
end of the 2nd quarter to see an overwhelming majority of
people upgrading their devices to iOS 8.x.

60. 60
iPhone Devices Breakdown by Usages

61. 61
iPhone Devices Breakdown Analysis
Over the past year, the iPhone market has seen
major changes. David-Smith completed a study to
determine which iPhone devices are seeing the
most success in terms of usage. This pie chart
indicates that the iPhone 5s take top market share
while iPhone 6 are second with iPhone 5 coming in
third. As a result, we will continue to support iPhone
5s and iPhone 6 in current quarter.
Despite iPhone 6+ having market penetrations just
above 5%, the general trend for iPhone 6+ slightly
down; therefore, we recommend not supporting this
device at this time.

62. Look for the next quarterly
update in July 2015.
62
MCD
Platform Support
Recommendations
2015 First Quarter