Internet Explorer Dead? Microsoft To Push Windows 10 With New Browser

Is Internet Explorer dead? Microsoft is launching an all-new default browser with Windows 10, which is said to compete with the current favorites, Chrome and Firefox.

This new browser will not be Internet Explorer 12, as the official name takes yet another page from Microsoft’s tendency to pull names from its popular Halo video game franchise. They are currently calling it the Spartan browser.

Microsoft made a similar decision when attempting to compete with Apple’s Siri, calling their own mobile assistant app Cortana, after Master Chief’s own virtual assistant from Halo.

After the release of Mozilla’s Firefox, Internet Explorer has had a hard time being relevant for internet users who wanted more speed from their browser. While it’s been a default internet browser with every version of Windows to date, the educated have only used it for one thing, which has become a regular joke for meme creators.

One such meme uses Dos Equis’ “most interesting man in the world” to claim he doesn’t always use Internet Explorer, but when he does, he’s downloading another browser. The announcement of a new Microsoft browser does not make Internet Explorer dead though.

Internet Explorer 11 will still be available for the sake of backwards compatibility, much like Windows 7 did for a couple of years with its Windows XP Mode. The Spartan browser will be the new default for Windows 10, but it won’t be the only Microsoft browser.

Microsoft may be planning to reveal the new browser on January 21, along with the new collection of Windows 10 features. While not making Internet Explorer dead, Spartan will supposedly look very different, being designed as a light-weight competitor for Firefox and Google’s Chrome.

Unlike IE 11, Spartan will look a lot like a cross between its competitors, with the tabs on the top running from left to right, and the URL bar beneath them instead of sharing the same horizontal level. According to Neowin, it will support plugins much like Chrome and Firefox do, so you might be able to block ads, or clear the cache or cookies with a click or two.

Microsoft’s “Spartan” browser may not be IE 12, after all. Could be a brand-new MS browser, sources say: http://t.co/eNjx6xVddO

— Mary Jo Foley (@maryjofoley) December 29, 2014

Microsoft supposedly has no plans to port any Internet Explorer browsers to non-Windows devices, but that might not stop Spartan from being a new addition to iPhone and Android browser collections. The Spartan browser is not Internet Explorer, so the rules may be different.

We will know more when Microsoft releases Windows 10 for retail, but the introduction of the Spartan browser does not make Internet Explorer dead. We will simply have another option.

[Image via Maximum PC, Superman Herbs, Quick Meme]