14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is working to replace Internet Explorer in Windows 10 with a new browser that's currently codenamed Spartan, but right now, it's not yet clear whether the company is planning to make it available on non-Windows operating systems too.
Spartan will be Microsoft's first attempt to tackle the browser world, which has until now been dominated by Google Chrome and Firefox, so the new app has to be a lot more advanced than Internet Explorer in order to succeed.
But at the same time, its limited availability on Windows 10 might somehow impact its early adoption figures, as Microsoft says that there are currently no plans to release it for Windows 7.
The software giant even has a good reason for not bringing Spartan on Windows 7, saying in a dev chat on Twitter that, since “Windows 10 is offered as a free upgrade for Windows 7,” everyone should switch to the new operating system and try out the new browser.
As for other platforms, the IE team said that nothing was planned at the moment, as it only wanted to get the Windows 10 version right and then think about other projects that could bring Spartan on rival platforms.
“We don't have anything planned at the moment - we're completely focused on building a great browser for Windows 10,” the team added.
Already up for testing
Spartan is already available for testing in Technical Preview build 10049, but contrary to what people expected, it's not such an advanced browser for the time being.
In fact, this early build of Spartan is not even supposed to come with the full feature package, as Microsoft is still working on it right now, and more options will be added as it completes their development.
Spartan comes with a fresh interface, Cortana integration to search the web with voice commands, annotations options, and full support for touch to be used on both desktops and tablets. Spartan will be available on all devices running Windows 10 and will be installed by default on PCs, tablets, and smartphones.
#AskIE @StevenKister1 No current plans for Spartan on Win7. Win7 users will be able to upgrade to Win10 for free as you probably know :)
— IE Dev Chat (@IEDevChat) April 2, 2015