Spartan: Microsoft’s Default Windows 10 Web Browser?

As Microsoft continues to work and rework Windows 10, currently in Technical Preview and gearing up for a mid-to-late 2015 release, the company is also hard at work on a brand new web browser that will reportedly replace Internet Explorer when the final version of the OS launches. Codenamed “Spartan,” the new browser is said to be leaner and meaner than IE and to more closely resemble Google’s Chrome and Mozilla’s Firefox browsers.

The news comes by way of a post on ZDNet, which reports that it will rely on Microsoft’s Chakra JavaScript Engine and the Trident rendering engine, both of which power Internet Explorer. The post also says that Spartan will “support extensions,” meaning that users will have more customization options and possibilities with the new browser than they may have had with Internet Explorer.

Furthermore, while Spartan will ship with Windows 10, the new OS will also be packed with IE 11 for backwards compatibility’s sake. The post adds that there’s a possibility Microsoft could bring Spartan to other platforms, like iOS, Android, or OS X. Given the company’s recent spate of releases on non-Microsoft platforms – like Office for iPad and Android tablets, among others – it wouldn’t be too surprising to see its newest web browser on other devices too.

One of the main reasons I’ve stuck with Chrome to this point is that I can use it on my Android phone, PCs, and iPad, meaning I can keep browsing consistent across platforms. If Microsoft could provide a viable alternative that allows me to keep the browsing party going, I’d certainly be interested in switching away from Chrome.

Will it happen? It’s not clear just yet, but we may find out more next month along with the newest build of Windows 10 Technical Preview. Until then, sit tight.

[Source: ZDNet]