14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 10 will be shipped with a brand new browser that’s internally codenamed Spartan, and sources close to Microsoft’s plans claim that an official name could be finally unveiled later today, during the event specifically focused on the consumer experience in the new OS.
Spartan, which is currently in development stage, will be offered alongside Internet Explorer at first, as the company is planning to tackle all compatibility issues that might arise because of the new browser.
Offering both of them would give users more choices, sources claim, at least until Microsoft truly manages to make Spartan a powerful replacement for Internet Explorer and no compatibility problems can be experienced.
Few details at the Windows 10 event
Interestingly, Microsoft will indeed talk about Spartan at the Windows 10 event later today, but only few details will actually be provided and the reason pretty much makes sense.
We’ve heard that, despite the leaks and info that have reached the web lately, Spartan is still in its very early stages and a lot could change until the project gets the green light and ships in preview form to users.
At this point, Spartan does have a fresh UI and some features that could be part of the final release, including support for Google Chrome extensions, but this could very well change until the browser goes public, so Microsoft wants to be cautious and only reveal things that are 100 percent sure to be found in the final product.
Spartan vs. Internet Explorer 12
The name of the browser will most likely be the main topic, some have pointed out. Right now, Spartan is the codename of the project but is very unlikely to be used for the final browser as well.
And yet, the Spartan moniker has been very well received and there’s even a UserVoice thread that asks Microsoft to keep this name for the final product, which indeed gives it some chances to happen.
On the other hand, we’ve talked to a handful of Microsoft analysts and most of them have said that Internet Explorer 12 is more likely to be the name of the new app, as the company would thus continue the evolution of its browser.
The problem with this particular designation is that it contradicts some internal plans that were even confirmed by Microsoft employees. Microsoft’s executives planned to drop the Internet Explorer name in order to fight the negative perception of the browser, so keeping this designation for the next release doesn’t align with this.
It’s pretty clear that it’ll be interesting to see how Microsoft calls its browser, but it’ll be even more interesting to see it at work, especially because the company hopes that it will crush Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox once and for all.