14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 10 is expected to come with a new browser that wouldn’t necessarily replace Internet Explorer at first but be offered alongside it, and some blurry pictures revealed this morning provide us with a quick glimpse of what the new app could look like.
Basically, Spartan would help Microsoft not only offer a much more advanced browser to users but also get closer to its rivals and better compete with Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, which are both benefiting from a wider array of features, which include extensions and add-ons to improve the functionality of the app.
Spartan is already in development right now and Microsoft is expected to present it for the first time in the coming months, and a future version of Windows 10 Technical Preview could bring it to those enrolled in the Windows Insider Program.
Very similar to Chrome and Firefox
As you can see in the screenshot included in this article, Spartan is going to be very similar to Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, at least as far as the tab bar is concerned.
Microsoft has finally decided to move the tab bar at the top of the screen just like in the other browsers on the market, so Internet Explorer should be easier to use thanks to this change of looks.
At the same time, everything seems to be very flat, as is the case with the other new apps developed by Microsoft, so Spartan should easily join the modern software lineup currently owned by the Redmond-based tech giant.
Interestingly, Spartan is also very likely to copy other features from its rivals, including add-ons and extension support, thus making sure that users can further improve the application by adding new tools to their browser.
At this point, it’s not very clear how these features are going to work, but chances are that Microsoft might launch a new store with extensions for Spartan.
Very likely to get a new name
Although everyone refers to this new project as Spartan, Microsoft might actually pick a different name for the final app expected to hit the market together with Windows 10.
We’ve heard from people close to Microsoft’s development plans that Spartan is just a codename for the time being, and some company executives themselves said that a new name must be found before work on this browser reaches the final stage.
And still, it’s pretty clear that Internet Explorer 12 is not an option, especially because Microsoft still wants to fight the negative perception over its default browser.