Microsoft is getting prepared to release the first beta version of Internet Explorer 9, which they will release it at a launch event planned for September 15th, 2010 in San Francisco.
Recently, an article that was published by one of Microsoft’s Russian subsidiaries revealed IE9 new interface. The screenshot was removed almost right away but the shot was able to disperse throughout the web. Microsoft has declined to publicly comment about the screenshot, so who knows if its fake or not but if it is a fake, it’s a really good fake.
Internet Explorer has been the most-used browser, Microsoft is hoping to keep it that way. Microsoft is taking a completely new approach to IE9, embracing HTML5 and CSS3 and placing a heavy focus on web standards and speed.
The company recently launched an IE9 platform preview 3 at an event in San Francisco. Microsoft presentation was focused almost exclusively on how IE9 beats its competitors, Chrome 5 and Firefox 3.6.4. They ran test for everybody showing off its processing capacity. What came up the most though was hardware acceleration; IE9 utilizes DirectX 10 to make far better use of the hardware. The outcome, I would have to say, is exciting.
Microsoft has several key features that they are focusing on with the release of IE9 Beta, many of which I have talked about already but one feature is the “snap” feature which allows you to tear off browser tabs and have them “snap” to a particular part of the screen, similar to the way documents and applications already do in the latest version of Windows. IE9 is also offer a unified search/ address bar, a simplified set of toolbar icons. These are features that we have already seen in Google Chrome, but they are learning from Googles criticism that whether or not to the let the bar suggest sites as you type a completely opt-in affair.
All the controls have moved to a single toolbar. It doesn’t really leave space for multiple tabs but by doing that it is supposed to maximize the viewing space of a web page. Mozilla recently, with their Firefox 4 beta has moved the tabs to above the address bar, which seems to be a more methodical layout.
It is hard to say what IE9 outcome will be with the release of their Beta version soon enough but from what we have seen the new browser looks very promising. Could IE9 finally be the browser that turns Internet Explorer’s horrible reputation around? It might be but its up to you to decide.