Be warned. Microsoft sure likes to court controversy when it can, as this latest episode shows. The company has been caught dissuading users from installing rival browsers.
Like Chrome and Firefox, and more.
Now, admittedly, Microsoft Edge is not in the best shape as it can be.
Even as the company continues to improve and refine the experience with each passing update. Nevertheless, Microsoft browsers are now both leaking market share, mostly to Google Chrome, which now reigns supreme.
To counter that, the company has conducted a test with Insiders that discourages them from installing a competing browser.
Sure, this new feature was meant to only be part of an experiment, but word about this bold effort got out quick and people were not impressed.
This is the screenshot that they were served when installing rival browsers on a Windows 10 machine:
Sigh.
Redmond has attempted to convince users to stick with Edge previously, including displaying popups right on the desktop to highlight the capabilities of the default Windows 10 web browser and at times, resetting the default choice when the operating system was updated.
However, this warning was special, in that it interrupted any attempt at installing an alternate option.
Such an aggressive tactic is unlikely to be received well by the user community, and right on target, criticism followed. Chances are, the software titan will not roll this tactic out for users — keeping in view the negative feedback it received.
But you never know!
I mean, the Browser Choice Screen is still in recent memory.
For all intents and purposes, these schemes don’t seem to be working.
Edge only accounts for 4.29% of the market according to the latest figures by NetMarketShare as of August this year. Chrome has 62% of the market cornered, while IE and Firefox follow with 11.87% and 10.79% respectively, showing there is a lot that Edge has to catch up in terms of features and share.
More work, less talk, bunny boy!
As the saying goes.
