
Alibaba’s UC Browser is dominating in markets with lower-end smartphones (2018) - malshe
https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-browser-youve-never-heard-of-is-dethroning-google-in-asia-1514808002
======
mda
According to statcounter, not really.

Global mobile browsers: [http://gs.statcounter.com/browser-market-
share/mobile/worldw...](http://gs.statcounter.com/browser-market-
share/mobile/worldwide/#monthly-201704-201904)

Asia region: [http://gs.statcounter.com/browser-market-
share/mobile/asia/#...](http://gs.statcounter.com/browser-market-
share/mobile/asia/#monthly-201704-201904)

~~~
malshe
Interesting graphs! The graph for Asia shows that UC Browser market share
decreased to half since this article published. Just to be clear, I am not
implying causality!

~~~
ChrisSD
The trouble with raw statcounter hit data is that it's hard to know what it's
tracking. Even statcounter itself cautions that the stats should not be
considered representative samples.

You'd need some in-depth analysis to distinguish any real effect from, for
example, those that are an artefact of the sites that use it (and don't use
it).

------
aasasd
Its ‘Mini’ incarnation—or something like that—also dominated on my e-ink Nook
Simple Touch by the virtue of working the best on a weak machine with a screen
of limited capabilities (grayscale, infrared touchscreen aka no multitouch),
under Android 2.1. And I was using it until about three years ago.

IIRC Opera Mini also worked on that, but not much else.

Guess it's time for me to mourn again that there are no e-ink devices with
normal modern Android—the screen is noticeably easier on the eyes, even with
the optional ‘ambient’ backlight (emitted from the sides, diffused through the
glass). And the screen consumes little power, so the battery can be way
smaller: Nook is lighter than my current phone despite having a bigger screen.

As for the refresh rate, Nook's screen can be coerced into doing some
surprising stuff:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fbD753xE-U](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fbD753xE-U)

~~~
wwweston
I _loved_ using my Kindle DX to browse various sites and even check email over
3G back in the day. No https support, though, and as that was increasingly
required (quite correctly) and as the JS-all-the-things philosophy infected
the web world (less correctly) it became broadly unusable.

I'd love to have an e-ink device with similar (or better) capability again.

~~~
aasasd
On Nook, I also installed an old version of Pocket (from when it was ‘Read It
Later’), which still synchronized with the service quite alright. So in
addition to books, I also had my hoarding nest of Wikipedia and blog articles
whenever I was waiting in a line.

With the 6" screen, it was pretty much the web in a paperback format.

------
wyxuan
It should be noted that UC browser has a lot of security flaws, and is
notorious for not bothering to fix them.

------
m-p-3
Maybe Google will release a lightweight version of Chrome Go at some point?
Anyway I'm hopeful Firefox Preview (Fenix) will be a nice improvement on
mobile.

------
shoopDooper
Do their users know that Alibaba is MIITM'ing their browsing activity? UC
Browser downloads and renders all web content on their servers, then sends a
lite representation to the mobile client.

I'm personally fine with it but I think that this WSJ article would be
breathless article about how Alibaba WIRETAPS YOUR WEB BROWSING if it was an
American company offering the same service.

~~~
aasasd
More than a few mobile and even desktop browsers work that way. E.g. Opera's
mobile browsers had such function for many years. I think even Firefox's
little bro worked the same (dunno what became of that project).

------
mtgx
And do you think this browser is dethroning Chrome because "it's just so
good," or much more likely, because Google's services are officially _and
unofficially_ being blocked/given the cold shoulder by many local
businesses/local governments in China, while Alibaba's browsers gets to be put
into everything else?

The "huge Chinese market" is just a mirage created to lure greedy American
companies into giving away their tech so that the local companies can be
propped up/improve.

~~~
FussyZeus
I mean Google and China's various state run tech corps is basically choosing
whether to get punched by Lucifer's left or right hand. It's a matter of
preference between two organizations whose stated goals are mass surveillance,
one to sell you crap you don't need, the other to reinforce their social
hierarchy. I don't get people who are on the Google train but anti-China,
there's so much overlap between the two it's genuinely amusing to see people
so hard up on one and so opposed to the other.

Frankly the whole thing reeks of misdirected racism or possibly red scare?
Like you're okay with a multibillion dollar corporation stalking you but not a
Government? Seems like an odd line to draw but okay.

~~~
verall
Does this _really_ seem like an odd line to draw?

Like, even a multibillion dollar corporation like google, if it wanted to
arrest me, it would seek the help of a government. Governments have the police
and guns and stuff.

I understand corporations can influence and share information with
governments, but, obviously they are different. Obviously tons of people feel
considerably more unconformable with their or another government knowing
things than Google.

And to be clear - I don't personally trust either of them at all. Google has
shown themselves to be willing to help attempt to erase history in China and
I'm sure would be all the more willing to do the same in my USA.

~~~
FussyZeus
> Like, even a multibillion dollar corporation like google, if it wanted to
> arrest me, it would seek the help of a government. Governments have the
> police and guns and stuff.

Remember when 2K Games had that group of hackers who were creating cheats for
GTA Online arrested and ruined their lives?

> I understand corporations can influence and share information with
> governments, but, obviously they are different. Obviously tons of people
> feel considerably more unconformable with their or another government
> knowing things than Google.

I know that, and I'm saying it's wrong, both of them are, and I find it
strange that people are so ok with Google doing this stuff. Both of them are
to be highly suspected, both of them do tons of unethical shit with tons of
data they have no right to possess, and I just find it strange how everyone is
largely ok with Google doing it, while hating China for it.

> And to be clear - I don't personally trust either of them at all.

Good. I'm not saying China's Government should be trusted, hell no, if that's
how it came across I apologize. I'm saying they're both monsters that share a
shocking number of characteristics.

