The latest version of Explorer, now available in public beta, is the company's attempt to get back into the web browser race and its success will determine if users look to Microsoft or elsewhere for their window to the web. Peek in on the beta launch event and the new features in this slideshow.

Thomas Claburn, Editor at Large, Enterprise Mobility

September 16, 2010

19 Slides


While journalists and Microsoft partners waited to enter the IE9 keynote area, we were entertained thus. The band was actually quite good.

Microsoft on Wednesday announced the availability of the Windows Internet Explorer 9 Beta, the company's attempt to get back into the web browser race for real. In some respects, IE9 puts Microsoft in the lead, thanks to its support for hardware accelerated HTML5 graphics. It's a lead that won't last: Both Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome will have hardware acceleration in mainstream releases before too long.

In fact, Mozilla's Aza Dotzler says that Firefox uses the same Windows APIs for its hardware acceleration and that Firefox accelerates Windows XP, which IE9 doesn't do since it doesn't run on Windows XP. "We are faster and we were first," declared Dotzler last week.

IE9 may not settle the debate about which browser is better but it does put Microsoft back in the race. After years of steadily losing browser market share, Windows 7 and IE9 have proven that Microsoft can still compete.

Dean Hachamovitch, corporate VP at Microsoft, argues that the focus should be on the website rather than the web browser. That makes sense in a way, but Microsoft itself has clearly spent a lot of time focused on IE9. And as much as Microsoft might wish that users ignore the browser and think only of Windows, IE9 is sure to be compared to Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Safari.

What matters in the end is whether Windows users look to Microsoft or elsewhere for their window to the web.

FURTHER READING: Review: IE9 May Be Best Version Yet Can IE9 Halt Explorer's Decline? Microsoft Unleashes Windows Internet Explorer 9 Beta

About the Author(s)

Thomas Claburn

Editor at Large, Enterprise Mobility

Thomas Claburn has been writing about business and technology since 1996, for publications such as New Architect, PC Computing, InformationWeek, Salon, Wired, and Ziff Davis Smart Business. Before that, he worked in film and television, having earned a not particularly useful master's degree in film production. He wrote the original treatment for 3DO's Killing Time, a short story that appeared in On Spec, and the screenplay for an independent film called The Hanged Man, which he would later direct. He's the author of a science fiction novel, Reflecting Fires, and a sadly neglected blog, Lot 49. His iPhone game, Blocfall, is available through the iTunes App Store. His wife is a talented jazz singer; he does not sing, which is for the best.

Never Miss a Beat: Get a snapshot of the issues affecting the IT industry straight to your inbox.

You May Also Like


More Insights