Microsoft is No Longer Living on the Edge (Premium)

Microsoft’s decision to embrace Chromium is correct, but our first public preview of the next version of Edge hints at how this transition will unfold.

Perhaps not surprisingly, this release---actually, releases, since users can confusingly choose between two “channels” for the Chromium-based Edge, Canary (nightly) and Developer (weekly)---was accompanied by yet another information-light blog post from the corporate overlords at Microsoft.

“In these first builds we are very much focused on the fundamentals and have not yet included a wide range of feature and language support that will come later,” a post credited to Microsoft corporate vice president Joe Belfiore (or “JoeB” as he annoyingly identifies himself) reads. “You’ll start to see differences from the current Microsoft Edge including subtle design finishes, support for a broader selection of extensions and the ability to manage your sign-in profile. We look forward to people starting to kick the tires and will be refining the feature set over time based on the feedback we receive.”

Let me explain what that means.

As my recent experiences with a leaked version of the Chromium-based Edge have revealed, this new web browser is currently more Chrome than Edge. That is, it looks and works much more like Google Chrome than it does like Microsoft Edge. Which is great … unless you’re an Edge fan who enjoys unique Edge features like its tab management functionality, Favorites Center, Reading list, Read mode, ebooks support, smart pen-compatible annotation capabilities, and much, much more.

What the Chromium-based Edge does deliver, as “JoeB” writes, is the “fundamentals.” But these are the fundamentals of Chrome, not Edge. The look and feel of the product, with its Material Design-based curved corners, is from Chrome. The browser rendering engines, of course, are from Chrome. The F12-based developer tools are from Chrome. Extensions are from Chrome, and you can even access the Chrome Web Store to find new extensions. The ability to install web apps and pin any web page… straight from Chrome.

These are all positives, people.

And, to be fair, there are a few Edge concessions for the fan base even at this early stage. Account sync and management is Microsoft account (MSA)-based, not Google account-based. The Settings and more menu is arranged much like that of the same menu in Edge, as are right-click menus, and both provide Edge-like iconography and textual layouts. And some UIs in this new app---like the Extensions and Settings interfaces---are, if not straight from Edge, are, at least, Edge-like. They are familiar enough that those coming from Edge will feel that they’re not completely in enemy territory.

And yet. You are in enemy territory.

That’s the trick that Microsoft must perform here: Fool its small buy loyal Edge user base into using this new Google-centric web browser while convincing the rank and file, accustomed as ...