A while ago, Microsoft announced it will replace its Internet Explorer browser with Project Spartan, but now it seems there is a change of plan. During the BUILD 2015 conference, the company’s corporate vice president of operating systems group, Joe Belfiore, shared that Project Spartan browser will be replaced with browser called Microsoft Edge even before it is released on the market.
Worry not, because this change will affect only the name of Microsoft’s next browser. Microsoft Edge is actually Project Spartan. The new name sounds definitely hotter than the older one.
Behind the New Name
Why did Microsoft plans to change the name of its browser? As a start, “Project Spartan” has always been regarded as the software’s codename. In addition, Microsoft has never confirmed that it will indeed make Spartan the official name of its next browser.
During the conference, Belfiore took the time to explain the meaning behind “Microsoft Edge.” According to him, the new name of the browser implies that it will be “on the edge of consuming and creating.” How it will combine consuming and creating, however, still remains a mystery. Nevertheless, Microsoft will certainly return to this topic in a few weeks, when Windows 10 is expected to be released.
A Departure from Internet Explorer
As predicted, Internet Explorer’s successor will support extensions. Interestingly, that will distance it from Microsoft’s original browser. Mozilla’s Firefox and Google’s Chrome, two of today’s most popular web browsers, have been relying on extensions for quite a while now. Through them, users can easily customize the software’s appearance, as well as to add new features to it.
Microsoft will also make sure that consumers will have a good choice of extension to download on their Microsoft Edge browser. The company will help developers reuse the extensions they have created for Chrome or Firefox on Internet Explorer’s successor.
Uniqueness
However, Microsoft Edge is far from being a cloning of Chrome and Firefox. Although it will share features with the competition, the browser will also offer consumers a few unique capabilities. For example, Microsoft Edge users will be able to annotate directly on web pages and enjoy a distraction-free reading through a new browser mode.
Most importantly, Microsoft’s upcoming web browser will feature Cortana integration. Niether of its two main competitors supports a personal assistant program of Cortana’s rank. That will easily give Microsoft Edge… and edge.
Microsoft Edge will be preinstalled on all devices that are shipping loaded with Windows 10 and it will service as the default browser on the new operating system. Also, the browser will work not only on PC and laptops, but also on tablets and smartphones from its first day on the market. To make the transition from Internet Explorer to Microsoft Edge for consumers, the icon of the new browser will bear a great resemblance with that of its predecessor.
