Buoyed by the retirement of Internet Explorer (IE) and cross-platform availability, Microsoft’s new flagship web browser Edge has scaled to impressive new heights.
According to a job listing published by the firm, Edge is clawing its way up the market share rankings, reclaiming some of the ground lost with the decline of IE.
“With general availability, Edge has already reached 600 million customers and is taking a fresh approach to browsing by putting the end user at the center,” crowed Microsoft.
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According to data from Statcounter, Edge currently holds 3.08% of the browser market, just behind Mozilla Firefox (3.77%). However, based on its current growth trajectory, it won’t be long before Microsoft’s browser leapfrogs its more established rival.
If mobile devices are removed from the equation, meanwhile, NetMarketShare data (which runs up to October 2020) shows that Edge has already overtaken Mozilla’s browser, with 7.75% market share.
Rise of Microsoft Edge
The rise in the popularity of Microsoft Edge can be attributed to a number of factors, including the death of IE, renewed marketing efforts, the arrival of Edge on all major platforms and default installation on Windows 10 machines.
However, Microsoft has also worked hard to earn users back with an increasingly rich feature set. The company has delivered a steady stream of improvements and innovations over the past six months, designed to set Edge apart from its competitors.
Recent additions include a secure password generator, in-built price comparison tool, screenshot capture facility and scrolling tab bar.
With Microsoft Edge v.88, which is set to roll out in full by the end of the month, users will also gain access to a wealth of new upgrades, from vertically-oriented tabs to increased control over cookies and more.
The new version will also look to eek out performance and efficiency gains in the launch process and in its handling of inactive tabs.
Although Edge is still a minor player in comparison to market leader Google Chrome, which holds 66.38%, Microsoft will be encouraged by its recent performance and confident of further gains in 2021.
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Via Windows Latest
