It seems Microsoft is leaving no stones unturned to persuade Windows 10 users to ditch rival web browsers in favour its new Edge browser.
Microsoft is using its Bing search engine to convince the users of its new Windows 10 operating system to keep ‘Edge’ as their default web browser.
VentureBeat’s Jordan Novet spotted that when Windows 10 users search for other web browsers on the Bing search engine; a banner shows up on top of the search results which read “Microsoft recommends Microsoft Edge for Windows 10.” A link to an Edge promo page is included too. However, it is to be noted that the bar only appears on the first search and is limited to the U.S. for now.
“Microsoft Edge was designed exclusively for Windows 10 with features and functionality that enhance the browsing experience such as Cortana, Web Note, and Quick answers,” a Microsoft spokeswoman told VentureBeat in an email.
“These notifications were created to provide people with quick, easy information that can help them get to know these experiences better. That said, with Windows 10 you can easily choose the default browser and search engine of your choice,” the spokeswoman added.
Mozilla recently criticized Microsoft for making it difficult for users to switch default browsers in the Windows 10 operating system. Mozilla even went as far as writing an open letter directly to Microsoft chief executive office Satya Nadella about the issue, though Redmond did not make any changes in response.
According to recent stats from NetMarketShare, Microsoft’s new web browser, Edge, garnered a 2 per cent share of the desktop browser market in August.
A while back, MS’s browser refused to show me links to download Opera. I downloaded Chrome and used that to download Opera. I thought restrictive practices were banned in this country!
I use Chrome to test my website, but I discovered Maxthon a few months ago and have come to use it for most things. Not perfect, but very good.