The latest version of Microsoft’s Web browser is now available to the vast audience connecting to the internet on personal computers 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 on Tuesday to Windows 7 users in a “preview,” or test, mode. The new browser isn’t compatible with XP, Vista and any other older Windows version.
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’s 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 bevy of Windows 8 machines expected to be sold during the next year, said Ryan Gavin, Microsoft’s general manager for the browser.
Internet Explorer 10’s main purpose is to make viewing websites as enjoyable and convenient as using applications tailor-made for specific mobile devices.
For instance, when reading an article on a news site, users of Internet Explorer 10 can just swipe across the screen to continue reading the next page instead of having to scroll down to click on a link, as most browsers require.
