Microsoft throws in the towel with Internet Explorer
Microsoft will retire Internet Explorer in 2022 as it tries to compete better in the browser war
After 25 years, Microsoft will retire its Internet Explorer browser next year.
“The Internet Explorer 11 desktop application will be withdrawn and support will no longer be available on June 15, 2022 for some versions of Windows 10,” the Redmond giant announced in a blog post .
Launched in 1995, Internet Explorer became the dominant browser for over a decade as it came bundled with Microsoft's Windows operating system pre-installed on billions of computers.
However, in the late 2000s, the browser started losing ground to today's market leader Google Chrome.
To compete better, in 2015 Microsoft launched the Edge browser which works with the same technology as the Google browser. The future of Internet Explorer on Windows 10 lies in its faster and more secure Microsoft Edge, the company said.
MICROSOFT UNPLUGS THE INTERNET EXPLORER
After more than 25 years of use, Internet Explorer will retire on June 15, 2022. Microsoft has announced the end of support for the service and systems on which it will no longer be used.
Microsoft has been trying to eliminate the browser for years but, despite the launch of the new Edge software, Explorer still collects 5% of global users (source NetMarketShare).
From June 15, 2022, Internet Explorer will disappear from all versions of Windows 10 , with the exception of the Enterprise versions, dedicated to particular areas, such as hospitals and logistics chains.
THE FOURTH CENTURY OF THE BROWSER
As Ansa recalls, according to studies, in its peak phase between 2003 and 2005, Internet Explorer had a market share of over 90%. As of early 2009, it still attracted 65% of anyone surfing the internet globally.
The browser was at the center of an antitrust case against Microsoft more than two decades ago, with a US judge ruling that the software titan had broken the law after combining Internet Explorer and the Windows operating system. The most serious violations of the law were confirmed on appeal, but Microsoft continued to bundle the operating system and the browser, Reuters points out.
THE BEGINNING OF THE END
Microsoft has also been trying to prevent people from using Internet Explorer for more than five years. Microsoft Edge first appeared in 2015 and kicked off the end of the IE branding. Microsoft has since labeled Internet Explorer as a "compatibility solution" rather than a browser and has encouraged companies to stop using the outdated browser in favor of Edge and its IE mode.
HOW THE SUCCESSOR HITS EDGE
Internet Explorer successor Edge has already outperformed the browser on the way to retirement (over 7%). Moreover, the new browser is based on Chromium, the same code with which Google develops Chrome, which is the most used navigation software in the world.
THE WAR OF THE BROWSERS
As of April, Chrome holds a 65% share of the global browser market, followed by Apple's Safari, with an 18% share, according to web analytics firm Statcounter. Microsoft Edge has a 3% share, while Internet Explorer has a tiny share of the market it once dominated.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/innovazione/microsoft-getta-la-spugna-con-internet-explorer/ on Thu, 20 May 2021 14:20:05 +0000.