14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft might be getting ready to release a preview version of its new Chromium-based browser for macOS devices.
Earlier this month, the company shipped the very first testing builds of the revamped Microsoft Edge running on Chromium, but these were only available for Windows 10 devices.
The company said at that time that versions supporting older Windows versions (Windows 7 and Windows 8.1), as well as macOS, were on their way, with no other specifics on the ETA actually provided.
And now it looks like we’re getting closer to the moment Microsoft would roll out a preview version of the Chromium-based Microsoft Edge for macOS, as discovered by German site WindowsUnited.
macOS build likely coming very soon
When trying to install the Windows 10 preview on Windows Server 2016, Microsoft Edge displays an error message indicating that the macOS build is just around the corner.
“Oh no! Platform not supported,” this message reads. “Some features may not work, as your device is using an operating system that’s not currently supported by Microsoft Edge Insider builds. For now, we’re officially supporting Windows 10 version 1709 and above, and macOS version 10.12 and above.”
In other words, Microsoft could be working on updating these preview versions of Microsoft Edge to indicate that Windows 10 and macOS are the only supported platforms. Officially, only Windows 10 is supported, so a macOS release could be just around the corner.
Interestingly, Microsoft’s browser for macOS could land before the dedicated version for older Windows, but this isn’t necessarily something to be surprised of. Windows 7 is scheduled to reach the end of support in January 2020, while Windows 8.1’s market share is already very small.
Microsoft hasn’t yet confirmed the release of the macOS browser version, so no specific ETA can be provided at this point.