In an announcement marking the end of an era, Microsoft will finally be killing off Internet Explorer in 2022.
Upon its launch 26 years ago, Internet Explorer would have seemed at the cutting edge of hi-tech. However, usage has waned significantly over the last quarter of a century, with the internet surfers of the ’90s turning to modern browsers such as Firefox and Google Chrome as they entered the new millennium.
Androids and iPhones don’t even support Internet Explorer these days, rendering it more-or-less redundant for those who primarily use their phones for information while out on the go.
Internet Explorer has long had a reputation for being slower and less secure than other browsers, and currently possesses just 5% of the browser market, according to browser usage tracker NetMarketShare. To give a comparison, the far more usable Google Chrome has chomped up a sizeable 69% share of the market.
Microsoft will say goodbye to Internet Explorer for good on June 15, 2022, at which time it will be replaced with the more secure and up-to-date Microsoft Edge.
Announcing the news, Microsoft Edge program manager Sean Lyndersay said: "Over the last year, you may have noticed our movement away from Internet Explorer ('IE') support, such as an announcement of the end of IE support by Microsoft 365 online services.
