A couple of days ago, Microsoft announced the beta version of their latest web browser: Internet Explorer 9. They’re claiming it offers a better user experience than any current browser by bringing app-like functionality to surfing the net. We want to know if it really stands out in the already crowded market? And can it stop Microsoft losing even more users to the likes of Google and Apple?
To help you decide whether or not IE9 is worth a look, we’ve put together a short list of our opinions. Let’s start with the good stuff:
WHY IE9 IS GOOD
It uses hardware acceleration
IE9 doesn’t rely on your device’s processor to do all the work. It also makes use of its graphics chip, giving the browser more bite and allowing it to deal with more processor-intensive content.
It’s HTML 5 ready
Which means it’s ready for the latest websites that include media-rich content in the code. This is handy because it reduces the need for external plug-ins such as Flash.
It’s sexy
Generally, we’re fans of most things related to stripping. The stripped down browsing interface of IE9 is no exception. Microsoft have had a much-needed design re-think, and removed all the distracting bits and pieces that reduce the visible area of web pages.
WHY IE9 IS BAD
Many of the features are old news
When Microsoft reeled off its list of IE9s ‘new’ features, we couldn’t help getting a sense of déjà vu: Search in the address bar. HTML5 support. Tab-based interface... Yawn. Not sure if you’ve noticed, Microsoft, but Chrome and Firefox have been doing these things for ages! You’ll need to offer something a bit more ground-breaking than that to make web users switch to your browser.
It doesn’t work with everything
IE9 won’t work on Macs or, perhaps more worryingly, XP (the most widely used Windows operating system). This seems a pretty short-sighted move. Microsoft are not only alienating Apple fans, but their own fans too. Duhh!
It’s yet another browser
This isn’t really a gripe about IE9 itself, but about new browsers in general. We don’t want - or need - any more! Here at Organic Development, we don’t only have to choose which browser to use at home. As a digital agency, we also have to add IE 9 to the list of browsers we already check for compatibility during web design projects. The list includes IE 6,7 and 8, Firefox for Windows, Firefox for Mac, Safari for Windows, Safari for Mac and Chrome. Phew.
It seems to us like it’s an unnecessarily convoluted market. Why can’t everyone just agree on a browser? It would make life so much easier, for casual Internet users and web developers alike. Well, as long as everyone agreed to use Chrome...
The release date for full version IE9 has yet to be announced, but we reckon it won’t be out for a while. This gives Google and Apple plenty of time to play catch up if they need to. See IE9 in action here.
INTERNET EXPLORER 9: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE BETA
A couple of days ago, Microsoft announced the beta version of their latest web browser: Internet Explorer 9. They’re claiming it offers a better user experience than any current browser by bringing app-like functionality to surfing the net. We want to know if it really stands out in the already crowded market? And can it stop Microsoft losing even more users to the likes of Google and Apple?
READ MORE...
To help you decide whether or not IE9 is worth a look, we’ve put together a short list of our opinions. Let’s start with the good stuff:
WHY IE9 IS GOOD:
It uses hardware acceleration
IE9 doesn’t rely on your device’s processor to do all the work. It also makes use of its graphics chip, giving the browser more bite and allowing it to deal with more processor-intensive content.
It’s HTML 5 ready
Which means it’s ready for the latest websites that include media-rich content in the code. This is handy because it reduces the need for external plug-ins such as Flash.
It’s sexy
Generally, we’re fans of most things related to stripping. The stripped down browsing interface of IE9 is no exception. Microsoft have had a much-needed design re-think, and removed all the distracting bits and pieces that reduce the visible area of web pages.
WHY IE9 IS BAD:
Many of the features are old news
When Microsoft reeled off its list of IE9s ‘new’ features, we couldn’t help getting a sense of déjà vu: Search in the address bar. HTML5 support. Tab-based interface... Yawn. Not sure if you’ve noticed, Microsoft, but Chrome and Firefox have been doing these things for ages! You’ll need to offer something a bit more ground-breaking than that to make web users switch to your browser.
It doesn’t work with everything
IE9 won’t work on Macs or, perhaps more worryingly, XP (the most widely used Windows operating system). This seems a pretty short-sighted move. Microsoft are not only alienating Apple fans, but their own fans too. Duhh!
It’s yet another browser
This isn’t really a gripe about IE9 itself, but about new browsers in general. We don’t want - or need - any more! Here at Organic Development, we don’t only have to have to choose which browser to use at home. As a digital agency, we also have to add IE 9 to the list of browsers we already check for compatibility during web design projects. The list includes
IE 6,7 and 8, Firefox for Windows, Firefox for Mac, Safari for Windows, Safari for Mac and Chrome. Phew.
It seems to us like it’s an unnecessarily convoluted market. Why can’t everyone just agree on a browser? It would make life so much easier, for casual Internet users and web developers alike. Well, as long as everyone agreed to use Chrome...
The release date for full version IE9 has yet to be announced, but we reckon it won’t be out for a while. This gives Google and Apple plenty of time to play catch up if they need to. See IE9 in action here: http://www.beautyoftheweb.co.uk/
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