[Gearbest]On May 16, Microsoft Edge browser officially announced that IE browser will be officially retired on June 16, and its functions will be taken over by Edge browser.
As we all know, when the Internet was just emerging as a century of innovation, the IE browser that came standard with Windows led the generation born in the 80s and 90s to open the door to the Internet world. Therefore, as soon as the news of IE's retirement came out, it immediately aroused heated discussion on the Internet. “Microsoft IE browser will be officially retired on June 16” also became a hot search on Weibo. Many netizens said: “Witness the era”, “The era is over” and so on.
The IE browser was born in 1995. Today, IE has been with everyone for 27 years. Now, this 27-year journey is coming to an end. Do you have a lot of emotions in your hearts? How much do you know about this browser that previously dominated the market?
In the summer of 1994, in order to resist the then mainstream Netscape browser (Netscape Navigator), Microsoft began planning to develop its own browser in Windows. Based on this, IE browser came into being.
In August 1995, with the Rolling Stones' “Start Me Up”, one of the most successful operating systems in Microsoft history, “Windows 95”, was born. The startup music composed by ambient music master Brian Eno is still familiar to everyone. In the same year, Microsoft launched the IE 1.0 browser. As the default browser of Windows 95, IE quickly occupied the market.
Three years later, IE successfully became the browser with the largest market share in the world. And in 2003, IE browser ushered in its most glorious moment, accounting for 95% of the global market, ushering in its own golden age.
However, with the rise of major browsers, the market position of IE browser has been rapidly impacted. In just two years since its peak, IE browser's market share has dropped to less than 20%. After the growth of Firefox and Google Chrome, IE fell to only 5.19% of the market share. Moreover, IE browser has gradually been associated with keywords such as slowness, lag, and few functions, and has been criticized by many users.
Subsequently, as the product's market share continued to shrink, officials also put the “retirement of IE browser” on the agenda. In August 2014, Microsoft considered changing the name of the IE browser and stated that it would terminate support for older versions of the browser. On May 19, 2021, Microsoft announced that IE browser will withdraw from the market in 2022.
Edge browserTake itbaton
Although Microsoft has stopped developing the IE browser, it does not mean that it will give up business in this field. In 2015, Microsoft launched a new version of its browser-Microsoft Edge. In 2016, the Edge browser officially replaced IE in Microsoft and became the default browser for Windows systems. At that time, IE's market share was less than 2%. In 2018, Edge can be launched on iPad and Android tablets, which means that the Edge browser has covered desktop and mobile platforms.
Just today, Microsoft officially announced that the Edge browser will take over the IE browser. The official also said that not long ago, the Edge browser desktop market share finally exceeded 10%. As for the glory of IE, Edge has a long way to go, and I will continue to explore.
Currently, Microsoft has pre-installed the Edge browser for the system by default. In the latest Windows 11 system, Microsoft has completely hidden the entrance to IE. Compared with IE, Edge browser users can browse more smoothly, and the page design is more concise and beautiful, which is more in line with people's current Internet habits.
Will Edge become the next IE?
Nowadays, there are many contestants on the browser track. In addition to the Edge browser, there are also Google Chrome browser, Safari browser, and Firefox browser abroad. There are also many players worthy of attention in the Chinese market, including 360 Browser, UC Browser, QQ Browser, etc. These are also browsers that people use in their daily lives.
Today, the browser market presents a situation of one super player with many strong players. Statcounter data shows that from March 2021 to March 2022, the Chrome browser accounted for 67.13% of the market share, firmly occupying the first place. Followed by Safari browser and Edge browser, with market shares of 9.75% and 8.81% respectively.
From this point of view, it is not that simple for the Edge browser to stand out. Facing powerful opponents, the rise of the Edge browser is destined to be full of difficulties and challenges. Although IE announced its official retirement, Edge, which took over it, is currently not strong enough. As the official said, there is still a “long way to go” to reach the peak of IE.
It is worth mentioning that the Edge browser has maintained steady growth since last year and is expected to surpass Apple's Safari in the next few months. Moreover, the Edge browser has hit an all-time high in terms of user numbers and is the second most popular browser on Windows. Ultimately, let us wait and see whether Microsoft can regain the browser market with Edge.
write at the end
However, domestic users are still very reluctant to let go of IE. Because many exam, bank and other websites are incompatible with other browsers, they can only be opened by IE browser. In this regard, Microsoft has also provided corresponding countermeasures. Currently, the Edge browser has built-in compatibility mode for the IE browser. Users only need to turn on this function to normally browse websites that are only compatible with the IE browser.
How do you feel when such a “legendary” product is announced to be retired?
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