The most interesting tidbit I got from the article was the fact that Google worked with Microsoft to get IE6 patched to a state of suitable functionality. We often look at them (and competing companies in general) as if they are at war with each other, and the idea of helping one another out seems infeasible. Seeing something like this is a nice reminder that economics is not a zero-sum game, and that competitors can work together to make things better for everyone.
I'd be curious to know if there's any empirical evidence for this -- that's precisely the sort of plausible claim that might easily not be supported by the evidence.
I'm sure there's empirical evidence somewhere that can either confirm or deny this hypothesis, exactly as stated. But it's so valuable that Google isn't likely to give you a peek at it for free.
Maybe some other market research firm will sell you related information. Or you could buy a few Google ads and see, I guess. Watch out for sample bias.
Its probably locked-down enterprise computers. The old company I worked at delayed the deployment of IE7 for an entire year because of one annoying application: Documentum E-Room.
IE6 isn't going anywhere anytime soon - at least in the corporate space. There are a large number of crappily written (but essential) intranet applications tied to IE6. As Google tries to push Gmail out to enterprise customers, its finding it's got to keep supporting IE6.
