It had a good run – an incredibly long run in technology terms – but the once-dominant Internet Explorer (IE) web browser is nearing the end. Microsoft announced that Windows 10 will debut this summer with an all-new browser, called Microsoft Edge.
In its glory days, IE was the most widely-used web browser. It’s been packaged with Microsoft Windows since 1995 – part of the reason it beat out Netscape Navigator and, for many of us, became our first window into the World Wide Web. The browser war victory came at a high price though when Microsoft had to defend its bundling strategy in lengthy court proceedings. Today, IE is losing ground to newer competitors like Google Chrome (2008) and Mozilla’s Firefox (2004). We checked our own web browsing stats and found that IE ranks second behind Google Chrome by more than 30 per cent – quite a margin.
The flashier, faster Microsoft Edge promises a more responsive and streamlined web-browsing experience. Features like inking, which enable you to write directly on pages, and Cortana, a digital assistant, will bring a fresh feel to surfing the web. While IE will reportedly live on for a while in some enterprise versions of Microsoft Windows, the iconic brand is stepping aside to give Microsoft Edge its time in the spotlight.
Windows 10 free-upgrade offer
You can learn more about Microsoft Edge and Windows 10 here: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/about. While you’re at it, you might want to check out an offer for a free upgrade for qualified Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows Phone 8.1 devices. Click the ‘Reserve Windows 10’ button for details.