Microsoft’s Internet Explorer has lots of competition these days. From Firefox to Google Chrome to Apple’s Safari, Internet Explorer seems to be under attack from all sides. And many software and Internet experts are concluding that IE is on the way out, and cannot hope to compete with its upstart rivals in the long run.
But Microsoft is not ready to give up on Internet Explorer just yet. The latest version of the software, Internet Explorer 8, was finally released a few days ago. It is the first major update to the ubiquitous Web browser in three years. It is clear that Microsoft is pinning a great deal of its hopes on IE 8 to recapture users that have defected to Firefox or other emerging Web browsers. However, first reports suggest that IE 8 may not be the savior Microsoft was hoping for.
Even though Microsoft continues to tout Internet Explorer as the worldwide industry standard Web browser, it is interesting to note that they have barely advertised IE 8 at all, and there have been no gala public events or publicity junkets to create a buzz around the new version. Is this a sign of resignation on Microsoft’s part? Have they lost faith in IE’s ability to dominate the market? Probably not, but it does seem suspicious that a new major upgrade to the software was released with so little fanfare — not exactly the Microsoft way of doing things.
Initial surveys indicated that users upgrading to Internet Explorer 8 were less than overwhelmed. In fact, according to textspot.com an unusually high number of users who upgraded to the new browser over the past week have now reverted back to Internet Explorer 7, suggesting a serious lack of faith in the new version.
Could this be a repeat of the Microsoft XP versus Vista controversy? There’s no doubt that the debacle surrounding the release of Microsoft Vista hurt the company’s cachet and reputation. What is unclear, however, is if this damage to Microsoft’s prestige is translating into less interest in Internet Explorer 8.
But it has to be pointed out that, with very few exceptions, new versions of Web browsers tend to be met with lukewarm response at best by most users. The reason? We’re all creatures of habit, and once we get “used” to a particular browser, any variation can seem bothersome and unnecessary, even if it includes more useful features and an easier-to-navigate layout.
Only time will tell whether Internet Explorer 8 can capture the public’s attention and win back users that had been lost to Microsoft’s competition.
