14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft Edge is the name of the new Windows 10 operating system's browser and it will be offered on both PCs and smartphones as a universal app, so many people are wondering whether Redmond has any plans to launch it on non-Windows platforms as well.
On the sideline of BUILD 2015, Microsoft Edge engineers explained that the browser is designed to work on Windows devices and there’s absolutely no plan right now to launch it on Linux, Mac OS X, Android or iOS.
What’s more, Windows 7 users won’t get to use Microsoft Edge pretty much because Windows 10 is offered as a free update for this Windows version, so in case you do want to try out the new browser, you just need to update your PC to get it.
Microsoft Edge will be provided exclusively in Windows 10 on PCs, tablets, and smartphones, and will be offered at first together with Internet Explorer to address any compatibility issue that might arise.
Not a definitive “no”
Microsoft Edge was designed from the very beginning to become a “universal app,” but it only works on Windows, so many believe that “universal” would actually include versions of Linux and Mac OS X too.
A post on UserVoice, for instance, calls for Microsoft to bring the browser on non-Windows platform too, and thus become a more powerful rival to Chrome and Firefox, both of which are available on Linux, Mac, iOS, and Android.
But although the company has no plans to bring Edge on other platforms, its answer is not a definitive “no.” Instead, Microsoft says that it might need additional time to get the browser right on Windows devices, be they PCs, tablets, or smartphones, and only then start thinking about bringing it on iOS, Android, Linux, and Mac.
Microsoft Edge will be included in the RTM version of Windows 10 scheduled to launch this summer, but everyone can already try it in the existing technical preview under the name of Spartan.