Rumors that Microsoft would be killing off Internet Explorer have been circling for a while now, with the company set to replace it with something called "Project Spartan."
It is suggested that the new browser will look a lot more like Google's Chrome browser and will be a lot faster than Internet Explorer. But is that enough to reestablish Microsoft as a leader in the Internet browser market?
It's important to note that Internet Explorer is the most used browser, however it has become associated with slow browsing among those who are heavily into technology. The reason that it is the most used is largely because of the fact that it ships with Windows-based computers by default. Internet Explorer will also exist in Windows 10, but it will mainly be there for enterprise compatibility.
Unfortunately for Microsoft, Internet Explorer and Microsoft have, to an extent, become synonymous. Building user trust back in the Internet browser business will be difficult for Microsoft, both because users don't expect Microsoft to unveil a real competitor to other browsers and because users have become accustomed to the likes of Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.
Microsoft does, of course, have an advantage in that it controls the largest computer operating system in the world. Shipping its new browser with Microsoft 10 will automatically make it one of the largest browsers in the world within a few years. It will be easy for Microsoft to bring the new browser to the masses, but it will be much more difficult for the company to bring it to those who are tech-savvy and aware of other options.
Microsoft is reportedly doing a lot of market research to figure out how to brand its new browser, and this will of course be very important for building its reputation. According to reports, Microsoft has been conducting research in the UK that suggests that Chrome users respond better to names that include the Microsoft brand name in the same way that Google Chrome includes the Google brand name.
Nevertheless, other browsers have been chipping away at Microsoft's market share and this is only likely to continue over the next few years. It will be interesting to see what the response to the new browser will be once it is released.
The revamp of Microsoft's Internet browser is unsurprising considering the fact that Internet Explorer has had a bad reputation for the most part since Internet Explorer 6, which had a number of bugs and other issues.
