Windows 10: Microsoft's new browser is a FAILURE - find out why





Windows 10 is proving VERY popular. Unfortunately, its new browser, Microsoft Edge, is not



WINDOWS 10 users are turning their backs on Microsoft Edge in their droves.

 

Microsoft tried to move users from its infamous Internet Explorer browser to a minimalist new web browser dubbed Edge following the launch of Windows 10.

But new data has revealed that Windows 10 users are reluctant to make the transition.

The news comes hours after Microsoft announced a slew of new devices, including its first laptop – the Surface Book, an updated Surface Pro 4, Microsoft Band 2 and two new Lumia smartphones.

 

Google's Chrome browser is still the most popular choice on Windows 10, according to San Francisco-based firm Quantcast.

The Google browser – which has a number of hilarious hidden features – accounts for a staggering 70 per cent of all browser activity originating from Windows 10.

But it's not all bad news for Microsoft Edge.

The redesigned browser did see a small bump when Windows 10 rolled out worldwide – peaking at 16 per cent of all browser activity from the OS.

 

Meanwhile the outdated and infamously infuriating Internet Explorer accounts for a meagre 5 per cent of traffic from Windows 10 users.

Software Engineer Jackson Newhouse, of Quantcast said: "The wide release of Windows 10 did initially bump Edge’s market share from 12 per cent to 16 per cent. 

"However, this increase was temporary, with Chrome recovering from temporary losses and reaching over 70 per cent market share of Windows 10, higher than the 63 per cent it pulls in on Windows 7 and 8.

"More and more users are using Windows 10 every day, and most have shifted off of the old Internet Explorer. 

"However, that movement hasn’t entirely been towards Edge, with a number of users choosing Chrome instead. 

"Microsoft may be able to make further inroads into the browser market with Edge, but it’ll take more than a new operating system to unseat Chrome’s dominance."

 

It is surprising that Microsoft has not managed to capture more users with its new browser.

Edge is the default browser that ships with Windows 10 – and is even promoted during the upgrade process.

Unless you are actively reading, checking and carefully choosing your options during the installation, the operating system will swap any rival browsers you'd set as the default on Windows 7 or 8.1 to Microsoft Edge.

The lacklustre performance could be due to the browser's unfinished functionality.

 

 

For example, Edge does not currently support add-ons – something Microsoft has promised to fix as soon as possible.

A number of requested features, bug fixes and visual updates are due to arrive alongside a major update to Windows 10, dubbed Threshold, which is believed to roll out later this month.

Windows 10, which unites the Microsoft ecosystem across a host of devices including smartphones, tablet and desktops PC, first rolled out back in July.

The Microsoft OS saw huge adoption within the first few hours of its release – but the new operating system has not been without issues.

Users have reported agonisingly slow boot-up speeds, wifi issues, privacy concerns and problems with child safety features following the jump to Windows 10.