Microsoft’s new Chromium-based Edge browser is confusing. Is it for enterprise customers who will benefit from its hooks to Internet Explorer, Microsoft’s cloud services, and platform agnosticism? Or is it for consumers who will like its privacy and security features? Probably the former, actually.
I tried using Microsoft’s Edge browser. I gave it a fair shot, setting it as my default browser for several months and using it for both work and play. After a while, though, the writing was on the wall: although it offered some nice features, like ink notes and ebook reading, it would never replace Chrome or Firefox as my go-to browser.
Now that Microsoft is switching to the Chromium open-source engine to power Edge, and essentially abandoning the Universal Windows Platform (UWP) version, I’m left with more questions than answers. What exactly – and who – is the new Edge browser for? And will any of us ever have a reason to switch?
Let’s face it: Microsoft has been shifting its focus from consumers to business customers for years now. That writing has been on the wall, as well. Microsoft simply isn’t all that concerned lately about making Windows 10 a platform that appeals directly to average people. It works fine, of course, but Microsoft is far more focused on making you more productive within the context of your business.
That makes perfect sense, of course. Microsoft managed to transition from the Windows company to the productivity and enterprise solutions company without losing money. In fact, it’s as profitable as ever, and its market value has never been higher. Focusing on the enterprise cloud, with business products like Azure, Office, Teams, and more has served Microsoft and its shareholders well.
At Microsoft’s Build 2019 conference, there was quite a bit of material about how the new Edge will better serve the company’s business customers. One major concession to the enterprise is building Internet Explorer into Edge, presenting it as a tab just like any other web page.
