There’s no denying that the top web browser is Microsoft IE, taking a 52.81% share of the market.  But it looks like second place is up for grabs.  Firefox has been trying to tread water as Google Chrome encroaches on its market share, with its rapid-fire browser update backfiring in an increasingly competitive industry.

According to the data released by StatCounter, Chrome will pass Firefox to take the No. 2 spot behind Microsoft’s Internet Explorer no later than December.

StatCounter’s data showed that Chrome’s global average user share for September was 23.6%, while Firefox’s stood at 26.8%. I E, meanwhile, was at 41.7%.

The climb of Chrome can be correlated to the fact that it’s increased marketing and points of integration, including a netbook that’s based on Chrome OS.  It’s gained 8% points since January 2011, representing a 50% increase for the year to date.  While Firefox dropped almost 4% points declining by 13% and IE fell by 4% points suffering a 9% dip.

Mobile is also an important consideration, as it’s expected to become an influential platform for web browsing.  With the rising adoption of tablets, several trends are forming around mobile browsing, looking to make it a more familiar and fluid experience.  Firefox and Chrome, amongst others like Opera and Dolphin are duking it out in the mobile realm as well, and Chrome has a major advantage being under the Google umbrella.  There’s several ways for Google to plug Chrome, while Firefox is still at the mercy of the market.

Chrome and Firefox have been going head-to-head regarding their release updates, quickening their version enhancements to the point of dizzying confusion for end users.  Security has been an area of focus for the rapid-fire update schedule, as web browsing becomes an even broader medium for the spread of malware as connectivity around devices improves both technologically and commercially.