Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Apple
    • Apple
    • Cloud
    • Innovation
    • Search Engines

    Why Microsoft Chromium Edge Browser for Apple is a Major Development

    By
    Rob Enderle
    -
    May 24, 2019
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      ChromiumEdge.browser

      Microsoft this week announced it has ported its new Edge Chromium based browser to the MacOS, and I think this is huge. I’ve been using Microsoft browsers since they licensed its first Internet Explorer from Spyglass, and let’s just say that initial effort was raw–but so was the entire Internet.

      The IT world was different back then, largely proprietary, and as such it was fighting the core concept of massive interoperability that the Web promised. Even though the browser was mostly free (something that Netscape seemed unable to figure out, to its own detriment), firms fought over unique aspects of them, creating significant compatibility problems for web developers.

      Well, there is no bigger example of that world being dead than this week’s announcement of the Microsoft Edge Chromium browser for Apple. I think it is a game-changer, and here is why.

      Edge on Chromium

      I’ve been on the Edge Chromium Browser for Windows for some time now, and it has become my default browser. It blends the compatibility benefits of Google Chrome with the legacy benefits of Edge, so that this is now, in my experience, the closest thing to a universal browser in the market.

      On first load, it reminds me a bit of my first experience on Firefox, when I was amazed about how quickly it would launch web pages. It made old Edge feel ancient and even seemed to outperform the Chrome browser on my system. It also appears to address some of the unique compatibility issues that forced me to occasionally use the Firefox or Opera browsers.

      It has had, during patches and updates, some issues mostly with conferencing products such as Cisco WebEx that have cropped up during updates, but it otherwise has been an impressively good browser–particularly because it is a blend of Microsoft and Google technology.

      But allowing the browser to move to Apple’s platform opens an interesting new aspect for this offering.

      Edge on Chromium for Apple

      When I first heard that Microsoft was adapting the Chromium platform for Edge, I had to quickly check to see if the date was April 1, because it could only be a prank. But, as noted above, it wasn’t, and the result is impressive.

      To go the extra yard and make the platform OS independent and allowing it to initially embrace Apple’s operating systems creates another interesting dynamic. Not only will you now have what is basically a universal standard on interoperability with Chromium across all the major OSs, but this Microsoft browser will be able to focus more on unique features rather than just mucking with the plumbing and creating compatibility issues for those of us trying to get our websites to work.

      The result is effectively a common browser standard across all major platforms (porting this to Android and Chrome given its Chromium roots should be rather easy). So, we are back to the potential of one browser standard.

      The Big Cloud Impact

      Now what this potentially gives us, in effect, is a common platform for all PCs and smartphones. As we move to web services like the Windows Virtual Desktop our applications will increasingly run remotely and be accessed through this common browser. This means regardless of whether you are on Windows, MacOS, iOS, Android or Chrome, you should increasingly get the same user experience on the growing number of hosted desktop applications.  In effect, this becomes the other side of Azure, and because Microsoft owns Azure, it should result in a competitive advantage for that cloud platform in terms of interoperability.

      Wrapping Up

      I just can’t get over how big a Microsoft Edge browser based on Google’s Chromium platform running on Apple operating systems is. The implication is a new standard platform upon which products such as Windows Virtual Desktop and any hosted application could run. As we move to 5G and bandwidths improve, the momentum to doing everything in the cloud will increase, and this new browser, eventually running on all major platforms, has a good shot at again becoming the de facto standard browser.

      Microsoft got here the first time by being highly proprietary and using its market muscle, coupled with a timely Netscape failure, to own the market. What is interesting is that this time they are getting there through standards and voluntary interoperation. I don’t think there is a bigger or better example of how much Microsoft has changed, and how much the market is changing, than this offering.  It still kind of blows my mind.

      Rob Enderle is a principal analyst with the Enderle Group and a regular contributor to eWEEK and other QuinStreet Inc. publications.

      Rob Enderle
      https://enderlegroup.com
      Rob Enderle is a principal at Enderle Group. He is a nationally recognized analyst and a longtime contributor to eWEEK and Pund-IT. Enderle is considered one of the top 10 IT analysts in the world by Apollo Research, which evaluated 3,960 technology analysts and their individual press coverage metrics.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×