14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has recently announced its decision to retire Internet Explorer next year, something that everybody saw coming especially given the latest investments in Microsoft Edge.
But on the other hand, this doesn’t mean the world is prepared for this moment, as statistics show plenty of computers are still using Internet Explorer (or apps based on the same browser).
StatCounter data shows Internet Explorer had a market share of over 0.70 percent last month, even more than the legacy version of Microsoft Edge, whose share dropped to 0.25 percent during the same month.
Of course, Google Chrome continues to be the number one browser, followed by Safari (on Mac), Firefox, and the new Edge, but the number of people still running Internet Explorer is worrying, to say the least.
The IE demise
Internet Explorer hasn’t received anything besides security patches for quite a while, so it’s hard to understand why some companies are still sticking with this ancient browser. Compatibility reasons are most often invoked, though as Microsoft itself explains, the new Microsoft Edge comes with a built-in IE mode that helps deal with the whole thing in a more secure manner.
“We are announcing that the future of Internet Explorer on Windows 10 is in Microsoft Edge. Not only is Microsoft Edge a faster, more secure and more modern browsing experience than Internet Explorer, but it is also able to address a key concern: compatibility for older, legacy websites and applications. Microsoft Edge has Internet Explorer mode (“IE mode”) built in, so you can access those legacy Internet Explorer-based websites and applications straight from Microsoft Edge,” Microsoft says.
The desktop versions of Internet Explorer will be retired on June 15, 2022, but some Windows 10 versions will still receive security patches as part of the TLSC or Server Internet Explorer 11 desktop applications.