New browser available for Windows 7
The latest version of Microsoft’s web browser is now available to the vast audience connecting to the internet via PCs running on the Windows 7 operating system.
The redesigned browser, Internet Explorer 10, made its debut last month when Microsoft released Windows 8, which makes dramatic changes to an operating system that has been powering PCs for decades.
Internet Explorer 10 initially is being introduced to Windows 7 users in a “preview” or test mode. The new browser is not compatible with XP, Vista or any other older Windows version.
Although Microsoft is staking its future on Windows 8, far more PCs rely on Windows 7.
Microsoft says more than 670 million licences for Windows 7 have been sold since its release in 2009. Windows 8 is unlikely to approach that level of usage until at least 2014, based on analyst forecasts.
Desktops, laptops and tablet computers running on Windows 8 are sold with Internet Explorer 10 already installed. Those with older Windows versions will have to download and install the new browser separately.
Although Internet Explorer 10 is supposed to process web pages more quickly and smoothly than its predecessors, it may have limited appeal to Windows 7 users.
That is because Microsoft primarily designed Internet Explorer 10 for tablet computers and other devices, including a new breed of PCs that have touch-screen displays. Relatively few Windows 7 PCs can be controlled with fingers on a display screen.
Microsoft is hoping many website developers will download and install Internet Explorer 10 on their Windows 7 machines and see the browser’s potential for making online services more compelling and dynamic.
If that happens, more websites may include features that take advantage of Internet Explorer 10’s full capabilities on the Windows 8 machines expected to be sold during the next year, said Ryan Gavin, Microsoft’s general manager for the browser.
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