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Firefox Internet browser is, with speed and credited to a nationwide advertising campaign for the rise in popularity

Google 's Chrome is Britain' s second most popular browser, a sign of the internet giant 's increasing grip on the UK search engine market.

Three years after the launch, Chrome last month, recorded 22% of UK users and nearly overtook Mozilla 's Firefox browser, according to the web metrics firm Statcounter. Microsoft 's Internet Explorer loses market share to Chrome remains the most popular browser with 45% for the UK - although they have a head start by launching pre-installed on almost all computers sold in the UK. Apple 's Safari is the UK number four, with a 9% share.

Google 's rise in the browser market is in part to nationwide advertising campaign - Chrome is the first Google product advertised on British television - but is largely due to its speed.

Lars Bak, the Google engineer responsible for Chrome, said the goal had never been to attract a huge user base, but to energise a dormant browser market: "Speed is a fundamental part of it, but it's also about the minimal design and the way it handles security. If you as a user try [to load] a webpage and it feels snappy, it's really hard to go back [to another browser]. It has shown that people spend more time interacting with the web."

Unlike most of Google 's Talent at its Mountain View headquarters in California, Bak operates from a converted farmhouse in the Danish countryside two hours from Copenhagen. He's obsessed with speed and show, despite numerous tests, Chrome surpasses all rivals, he might think it's much faster. "It should never be satisfied [existing] his speed," he said. "Of course it is difficult to make substantial profits, but it 's all healthy competition. From the beginning we all wanted to be fast, and now all browsers are fast. I' m absolutely stunned [by the improvements made by rival browsers ] \. "

Chrome is the world's number three, after a 20.65% market share Statcounter. But analysts expect it from the edge of Firefox, which dipped steadily since January. Microsoft 's Internet Explorer was also strong, down to 43%, with warnings from security breaches.

Google last month announced its Chrome Book laptop, based on his browser and see how another ambitious attack on Microsoft, it will be made by Samsung and Acer, the company that previously made up of computers with Microsoft 's software.

Unlike most computers, the Chromebook has almost no capacity to store and hosts most data online in a "cloud". Bak said: "The Chromebook is really important because it tries to simplify the machine – it is basically no maintenance, which means you can cut the price. If all you are doing is using a browser it's a fantastic tool."

• This article was amended on 1 August 2011, because they show a set that includes many tests, Chrome said, is faster than all its rivals in conjunction with a test that proved the contrary.